On October 17, 2019 within the campaign of ADC Memorial #CrossborderChildhood the round table ‘Cooperation in the field of return of children-migrants to country of origin’ was organized by ADC Memorial and Center for Social and Gender Studies. The event was organized in the premises of the temporary detention center for minors in Kharkiv, where dozens of children-migrants stay while they return back home. The officers of the National Police of Ukraine in Kharkiv region informed the participants about the practical work of the center and its conditions.
The round table was devoted to the discussion of new instruments between Moldova and Ukraine for the regulation of return of children-migrants to their country of origin. The participants recognized the necessity of replacement of outdated Agreement on cooperation between the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States on the return of minors to their permanent residence and adoption of new bilateral agreement that would be based
on the modern standards of child protection, described by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and Council of Europe.
The director of the Center for Social and Gender Studies Eugenia Lutsenko and the director of the temporary detention center Iryna Danylina addressed the participants with the introductory speeches. During the discussion the representatives of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine Ruslan Kolbasa and Olesya Tsybulko promoted the
humanization of the process of return of children and supported the idea of transfer of the issue of child-migrants to social services. The representative of the Office of Ombudsperson of Ukraine on the issues of rights of the children and family Aksana Filipishina and People’s Advocate on the defense of the children’s rights in the Republic of Moldova Maia Beneresku highlighted that the Convention on the Rights of the Child should be respected during the return of children-migrants. The important contributions to the discussion was made by Mariana Ianachevici (NGO Ave Copiii, Moldova), vice-president of All-Ukrainian Foundation ‘Protection of Children Rights’ Oleksiy Lazarenko, and lawyer of Charitable Foundation ‘Right to Protection’ Catherine Budiyanska. The other NGOs, members of the Coalition ‘Rights of the Child in Ukraine) – Kharkiv Institute of Social Studies, NGO ‘Vera.Nadezhda.Lubov’ took part in the discussion, as well as the representatives of the regional and city authorities of Kharkiv and Odesa (the city which is specifically interested in the cooperation with Moldova on return of children).