NordenBladet —
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Conference Hall of the Riigikogu and can be followed via webcast.
The meeting will focus on practical steps which can be taken to support both the physical and the psychological rehabilitation of Ukrainian children who have suffered traumatic experiences as a result of war. The meeting will be opened by President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna, Head of the Estonian delegation to PACE Kadri Tali and member of the delegation Eerik-Niiles Kross.
“Deportation of children is genocide – it must end,” President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar underlined. He recalled that the European Parliament had demanded the same in its Resolution in May. “I am very proud that our Riigikogu is today addressing the most inhumane aspect of the destruction of Ukraine’s identity, and I assure you that the day will come when these children will be brought back to their homes.”
According to Head of the Estonian delegation to PACE Kadri Tali, the well-being and future of Ukrainian children is also a priority for all Estonian people. “Our people have also been in a position where they needed help in a foreign country, and therefore we know and feel how important help, understanding, and support are for the survival of a nation,” she said.
The Network brings together members of parliaments from PACE countries, Ukrainian officials, Estonian experts, and representatives of international organisations. Discussions will focus on two key dimensions: physical rehabilitation of children, which includes medical care, rehabilitation centres, and prosthetics; and psychological recovery, which involves trauma relief, resilience building, and reintegration of children into their families and communities.
The speakers at the session on physical rehabilitation will include Minister of Social Affairs of Estonia Karmen Joller, representative of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine Vasyl Strilka, Head of Physical Rehabilitation Department of Okhmatdyt National Children’s Hospital Pavlo Andrieiev, CEO of Superhumans Rehabilitation Centre Olga Rudnieva, psychiatrist Roksolana Yurchyshyn and Estonian expert Anna Mikkonen-Berg. The session will be moderated by Head of the Network Olena Khomenko.
In the afternoon, the participants of the meeting will have the opportunity to watch the documentary “Stolen Childhood”, which highlights the impacts of the war on children.
The session on psychological rehabilitation will be moderated by Undersecretary for Global Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minna-Liina Lind. Presentations will be delivered by Chair of the Social Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Signe Riisalo, Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on the situation of children of Ukraine Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir (video address), Secretary of the Coordination Centre for Family Upbringing and Child Care Development Kyrylo Lapko, child psychiatrists Nataliia Masiak and Roksolana Yurchyshyn, and Adviser of the Mental Health Department of the Ministry of Social Affairs Katrin Aarma.
Thematic brainstorming sessions will be moderated by Miapetra Kumpula-Natri and Eerik-Niiles Kross.
On Friday, the participants of the meeting will visit the Ukrainian School, and on Saturday, the Ukrainian Cultural Centre.
In August, the Heads of the Nordic-Baltic (Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian and Swedish) Delegations to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe signed a Joint Statement in Jūrmala, Latvia, where they emphasised that all abducted Ukrainian children must be returned to their families immediately. They also promised to work for accountability for all atrocities committed and to ensure that justice was delivered to the victims of aggression.
In February last year, the plenary of the Riigikogu adopted a Statement in which it condemned the deliberate and systematic deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia in violation of international law, and demanded the release of such children and the ensuring of their safe return to Ukraine. In the Statement, the Riigikogu pointed out that the deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia and Belarus was a war crime and genocide under international law. According to the Statement, the aim of Russia and Belarus is to destroy the Ukrainian nation and identity by killing, wounding, traumatising and relocating Ukrainian children.
During the war of aggression started by the Russian Federation in 2014, hundreds of thousands of children have been taken from the territories of Ukraine to Russia.
Riigikogu Press Service
Merje Meisalu
+372 631 6300, +372 529 9512
merje.meisalu@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee
Link uudisele: PACE Network meets in Tallinn to find solutions for helping Ukrainian children
Source: Parliament of Estonia