UNICEF: Forty-two thousand Ukrainian children at risk of abuse and neglect

17.04.2020 11:15

Ukrinform

Forty-two thousand Ukrainian children were sent back home from child-care institutions without prior verification of the family conditions.

“UNICEF and partners are deeply concerned that 42,000 children, including children with disabilities, were sent back home from the boarding schools, and other child-care institutions as a result of COVID-19 measures taken by the Government of Ukraine,” reads the statement of UNICEF Ukraine.

As noted, UNICEF concerned that high stress home environments “put children at risk of abuse and neglect. This may also add further risks of child institutionalization in the post-quarantine period of COVID-19. Moreover, due to limited access and lack of protective equipment, social workers and child protection professionals are not able to conduct follow up assessments and monitoring of those families.”

UNICEF urges the Government of Ukraine to apply comprehensive measures to support families and children families financially and through services at local level.

In particular, it is necessary to provide necessary support and supervision to families at risk and financial and material support to socially vulnerable families who care for children returning from special boarding schools and other childcare institutions; provide clear guidance, instructions and support to local authorities and management of residential care institutions with children to prevent any further spread of COVID-19 in those institutions and to enable them with necessary protective measures to prevent possible outbreaks; provide clear guidance, instructions and support to protect social workers and child protection community workers and ensure their access to families where children were returned.

“It is critical to use the current crisis and its consequences to review the state approach towards child institutionalization, by starting to redirect the substantial financial resources being used for the continued provision of institutional care into prevention of family separation, family reunification, and the provision of suitable family -based alternative care placements, when necessary,” the statement reads.

Earlier, the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine elaborated a recommended action plan for the protection of the rights of children and social support for families with children in quarantine conditions and sent it to the regional and Kyiv city state administrations.