Protecting children must be the priority
I recently returned from the Ukraine border and am reflecting on the starkness of the sheer disaster that this war and barbarism has been for children. As UNICEF told our congressional delegation, it's an unending nightmare for Ukrainian children. They've experienced parents dying in their arms and sitting among dead bodies on the street without their parents.
In the reception center at the Ukraine border, I saw the faces of sadness, distress and confusion. Displaced persons walked with suitcases, twoand-two together, some with children, and some not. There were strollers and a small space where children played with donated toys, which showed how much the children had lost and how much they suffered.
There must be a pro-children effort to immediately protect children during war. In my meetings with European leaders, I suggested that there should be an effective system for registering all Ukrainian children, accompanied or unaccompanied, so that no child is lost amid war and confusion.
The brutality of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war torments Ukraine's children. When Russian invaders retreated from Bucha, they left total devastation and destruction. Their murderous rampage did not spare children. According to claims from Ukrainian officials not yet independently documented, the bodies of two young children were among 55 in a mass grave and 16 children were among hundreds murdered. Hundreds of women and girls have reported experiencing sexual violence, including rape, to Ukraine's official ombudswoman for human rights. The New York Times reported on a woman found dead in a cellar where she was held as a sex slave. The Russians used a kindergarten as a base and a children's camp as an execution ground.
In Mariupol, on April 12, Mayor Vadym Boychenko said that 210 children were murdered in his besieged city, among 21,000 civilians who were killed by incessant bombing. More children have been killed elsewhere in Ukraine, with numbers rising as destroyed sites are excavated. In one Russian bombing barrage, at the train station in Kramatorsk, five children were among the 52 murdered Ukrainians.
As Putin intensifies his assault, severe long-term effects are inflicted on the kids of Ukraine. In addition to hundreds killed and severely injured, many were orphaned by Russian bombs and battlefield losses. Children are highly vulnerable to predators, exploitation and human trafficking. They are traumatized by the fear and terror that bombs bring, with emotional and psychological wounds that will linger.
United Nations agencies estimate that, as of April 23, there are 5.1 million Ukrainian refugees, about 40 percent of whom are children. Over 3 million entered Poland since Feb. 24; 90 percent of whom are women and children.
Children should never be victims of war, witnesses to atrocities, nor orphaned by war's toll. Yet, these are realities for Ukraine's children. They are scared and scarred; many have no one to help them cope with the heartbreak of war.
These atrocities are war crimes. They're evidence of Putin's inhumanity and depravity, and the Russian forces' disregard for human life, even children. Putin cannot lead a civilized nation and should be removed. Yet, regime change is not our purpose. What must happen is that Putin is defeated, ending his senseless violence, with Ukraine getting the victory of his defeat. Putin and his cronies who execute his orders must face trial at the International Criminal Court and be convicted under international law that prohibits the murder and mutilation of civilians.
Protecting children must be our highest priority. A universal registration system is needed to reunify families and ensure that children are not lost. Humanitarian aid must focus on children's health care and education. When prosecuting war criminals, severe penalties must be imposed on anyone who commits a crime against a child.
Putin and his enablers must be held accountable for the heinous devastation and atrocities they have inflicted. We must demand justice in the name of the Ukrainian children.