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
14 October 2022

Children in Bulgaria: are they objects of policies or actual stakeholders with a voice?

Ahead of the upcoming elections in Bulgaria, Eurochild member, National Network for Children, combed through the political programmes of the main political parties and coalitions to find answers to this…
read more
slide
22 September 2022

UN Guidance Note on Child Rights Mainstreaming - Regional consultation with CSOs in Europe

The UN is developing a Guidance Note on Child Rights Mainstreaming to provide practical guidanceto all levels of the United Nations, across all three pillars, and to Headquarters, regional and…
read more
slide
15 June 2022

Strengthening the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child through newly adopted Council conclusions

15 months after the launch of the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child, the Council of the European Union finally adopted its conclusions on 9 June 2022. This is…
read more