Discussions between networks at a meeting held in Brussels in December last year identified crossborder movement as a compounder of risks for unaccompanied and separated children and young people displaced from Ukraine. As they move between EU Member States and in and out of Ukraine in search of education, work, family reunification, or stability, they may fall off the radar of national child protection systems and become exposed to risks of going missing, exploitation and trafficking, simultaneously disrupting education, employment pathways, continuity of care and access to services and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These risks do not occur in isolation: they are amplified by a lack of reliable information for children, The gradual winding down of humanitarian funding and absent or fragmented cross-border coordination mechanisms has direct consequences for children\u2019s daily lives. Individual best interests assessments are delayed or absent; continuity of care across borders is fragile; and long-term planning for education, housing, and legal status is increasingly out of reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While this statement focuses on unaccompanied and separated children and young people displaced from Ukraine, many of the risks described reflect broader and long-standing protection gaps affecting unaccompanied and separated children across Europe, irrespective of country of origin. Fragmented guardianship systems, uneven access to legal support, and limited cross-border case cooperation continue to leave many children exposed to harm. Addressing these systemic weaknesses is essential not only to protect children from Ukraine, but also to strengthen Europe\u2019s overall child protection architecture in cross-border contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How do children and young people feel?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Young people themselves describe lives shaped by uncertainty. The voices of young people displaced \u201cYou study, you learn the language, you try to integrate\u2026 but you don\u2019t know if you will be For many, the transition to adulthood coincides with an abrupt loss of guardianship, accommodation, This moment represents a critical juncture requiring strengthened implementation of existing EU and Recommendations for the European Union, Member States, and Civil Society<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Without decisive EU action and sustained investment, the risks facing unaccompanied and separated children displaced from Ukraine will intensify. With it, Europe can prevent avoidable harm and secure children and young people\u2019s safety, development, and futures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Signatories<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n
legal uncertainty around future status and registration during onward movement, weak information
sharing between national child protection systems and a lack of risk assessments.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
from Ukraine, heard through Missing Children Europe\u2019s You Decide youth participation initiative,
highlight difficulties re-registering for protection after moving countries, fear of losing legal status
when turning 18, and reliance on shrinking NGO support simply to secure housing or continue
studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
allowed to stay. Life feels temporary.\u201d \u2014 Member of the YoU Decide Youth Board<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and legal assistance. As the end of temporary protection approaches, these systemic gaps risk hardening into long-term exclusion. Without clarity at the EU level, children and young people displaced from Ukraine who have spent their formative years in Europe face interrupted education, stalled integration, and heightened susceptibility to exploitation. Fragmented legal frameworks and limited cross-border coordination translate directly into lived vulnerabilities: confusion about rights, reliance on informal information channels, and declining trust in protection systems designed to safeguard them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
international child protection obligations, including best interests procedures, guardianship, and cross-border case cooperation. Child protection in cross-border contexts cannot be left to ad hoc national responses. Sustained EU leadership, coordination, and funding are required to prevent foreseeable harm and uphold children\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
unaccompanied and separated children and youth displaced from Ukraine as well as their
caregivers, ensuring continuity and stability of residence status where needed and access to
services across borders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
shared referral pathways, best interests assessments, data protection and child-safe data- and
information-sharing mechanisms across Member States and Ukraine and across national
authorities and civil society organisations, including networks of organisations working with
children.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
into adulthood, including third country nationals, to prevent statelessness and abrupt loss of
support when a youth turns 18.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
trafficking, and exploitation, including strengthened child helplines and hotlines, particularly
when considering voluntary, safe, and dignified returns to Ukraine.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
displaced from Ukraine, by supporting training, thematic exchanges, and communication
campaigns for professionals, networks, and communities working with children.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
guidance during cross-border movement and status transitions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
protection, asylum, migration and justice procedures affecting displaced children from Ukraine,
including early identification of victims, access to generic and specialised support and
safeguards against secondary victimisation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
separated children experiencing violence, abuse or exploitation across Member States, and
strengthen integrated child protection systems to ensure cross-border continuity of care, support
and protection.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/childrights.org.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/znimok-ekrana-2026-02-24-131601.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n