Why it takes years to return children: Daria Kasyanova explains in an interview with The Good Men Project
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Darya Kasyanova, Head of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network and Program Director of the CO “SOS Children’s Villages” Ukraine, gave a large interview to the publication The Good Men Project. У The conversation is about the return, reintegration and protection of Ukrainian children deported or forcibly displaced by Russia during the war.
“Deportation or staying on the territory of Russia is only one element in a long chain of harm done to a child. Returning is not the end of the road, but the beginning of a long and very careful process of recovery,” Daria said.
In this article, Daria Kasyanova tells the real stories of children who have been returned from the occupied territories and Russia, and the difficulties of this process. She explains why most abducted children come from vulnerable families, how war destroys family ties, and why reintegration often takes years.
Particular attention is paid to the problem of adoption of Ukrainian children in Russia, changing their names and data, which makes it impossible to return. Daria Kasyanova also talks about the militarization and ideological pressure on children under occupation, psychological trauma and the need for a child-centered approach.
The material emphasizes the role of civil society organizations, the state and the international community in documenting war crimes against children and creating effective mechanisms for their return and protection of children’s rights.