news
slide

Ukraine needs to build a rights-based child protection system

Eurochild member Hopes and Homes for Children is urging the Ukrainian Government and the European Union to protect children in alternative care through deinstitutionalization reforms.

In December 2020, Hopes and Homes for Children (Eurochild member), along with 20 civil society organisations, called on the Ukrainian Government to establish a national body with adequate executive power and financial and human resources, in order to implement the child protection and care reform.

Despite the Government’s promise of transforming the national care system for children, nearly 100,000 children and young people still live in institutions across Ukraine. Furthermore, special boarding schools, education and rehabilitation centres are excluded from the National Strategy for Deinstitutionalisation and there is no plan at the moment to put an end to the placement of babies and very young children in institutions.

Institutionalization is a harmful practice against the wellbeing of all children and it leads to multiple violations of the rights of children. On this account, we urge the European Union to raise issues above with the Government of Ukraine (in the 2021 progress report on Article 14), and to provide budget support and technical assistance (via the 2021-2027 programming period) for the implementation of the reforms.

Read the full Call to Action – Building a rights-based child protection system in Ukraine, free from institutions




Related News/Events

slide
8 November 2023

A Dream of the Future

On the 20th October, Eurochild and its members joined the Human Rights 75 Regional Dialogue for Europe and Central Asia. Saoirse Exton's, part of the UN Secretary General’s Youth Advisory…
read more
slide
7 November 2023

EuropaSocial 2023 - A new generation of local and European action in defence of the rights of the child

On 16 November, Eurochild co-organised a conference on the state of child rights as part of the Europa Social debate series in Barcelona. The conference, organised together with the Third…
read more
slide
10 October 2023

ENOC Conference: Upholding children’s rights in Europe

Eurochild Secretary General, Sabine Saliba, joined the 2023 ENOC Conference in September and expressed concern over the growing attacks on children’s rights in Europe. The European Network of Ombudspersons for…
read more