First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska took part in the events dedicated to the World Children's Day, which is celebrated annually on November 20, the day of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
A special meeting was held in Kyiv, which was also attended by Minister of Social Policy Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Health Viktor Liashko, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Yuliia Sokolovska, Deputy Minister of Education and Science Yevhenia Smirnova, Deputy Minister of Justice Oleksandr Banchuk, Head of the Coordination Center for the Development of Family Upbringing and Child Care Iryna Tuliakova, Minister-Counselor, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. at the EU Delegation to Ukraine Rémi Duflot, and representatives of UNICEF.
The Coordination Center for the Development of Family Upbringing and Child Care, established on the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska with the support of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, presented a draft Strategy for ensuring the right of every child in Ukraine to grow up in a family environment. The presentation was attended by representatives of relevant ministries and agencies.
"More than 19 thousand Ukrainian children have been abducted by the occupiers. And as a result of Russian shelling, someone loses their parents every day. The enemy deliberately destroys Ukrainian families. But we must protect them. And this means creating decent conditions for them," the wife of the President of Ukraine emphasized in her address to the participants of the event.
To ensure that every child has the right to grow up in a family environment, the draft Strategy defines the following goals:
1. Strengthen the capacity of families to provide children with proper care and upbringing, and a supportive and safe environment.
2. Provide orphans and children deprived of parental care with alternative forms of family care and upbringing.
3. Create conditions for the return and integration of forcibly displaced, deported children and those who were displaced (evacuated) within Ukraine or abroad during the war.
4. Transform the system of child care and upbringing.
5. Socialize and integrate children who have experience of staying (living) in institutional care and upbringing facilities.
Successful implementation of the reform will make it possible to reduce the following by 2028:
- the total number of children under the age of 14 in institutional care and upbringing facilities by 70%;
- orphans, children deprived of parental care in institutional care and upbringing facilities by 90%;
- children under the age of 3 in institutional care and upbringing facilities by 100%.
The presentation of the draft Strategy launches the further development of national and regional plans for the development of family upbringing.
"Writing the Strategy is only the beginning of a long journey. We will have to restart something, do something from scratch. Each of the agencies has already worked hard to prepare the Strategy, and I really want them to take up its implementation as effectively. We need to act now when it is most difficult for children. It is now that children need all our support. The interests of the child are the interests of Ukraine," Olena Zelenska said.
The First Lady also took part in the event "Childhood 365: The Right to Be Yourself", organized by UNICEF. During the event, six teenagers from different parts of Ukraine shared their stories. The children told about their lives, challenges, achievements and experiences. Each story illustrates, in particular, the basic rights of the child: from the right to be together with the family to the right to a decent life for children with disabilities.
"We have heard only a few stories, but they tell us a lot about what our children are going through now - more than their peers in Europe or the United States. They are facing everything at once - both war and personal challenges. But what is especially impressive is how they are comprehending it. Not every adult would find such words. They say that they want to turn even negative experiences into positive development. They know that every unfulfilled person is a loss for the whole society. They believe that the world should see and tolerate diversity. I would like everyone to have this sense of dignity and respect for themselves and others. This respect and dignity begin with an understanding of rights. Your own and the rights of others," the President's wife is convinced.
According to recent surveys by UNICEF, more than 35% of children under the age of 18 are not familiar with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, slightly more than 50% said they feel the need to learn more about their rights, and 45.4% indicated that the war has had a negative impact on their rights.
Emphasizing the importance of raising awareness of children's rights, UNICEF has prepared updated adaptations and formats of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to ensure that as many Ukrainian children as possible can learn about their rights. At the "Childhood 365: The Right to Be Yourself" event, the organization presented several inclusive adaptations of the Convention, including an audio book, a video version in sign language, and printed books in special fonts that make it easier for children with dyslexia and visual impairments to read.
"Let's familiarize all our children with their rights. This is a real weapon of self-defense for them and for us. Awareness of one's rights makes both individuals and society strong. It is these rights, common to the entire civilized world, that Ukraine is now defending on the frontline - the right to life, dignity, freedom and opportunities for every person, adult or child," Olena Zelenska summarized.