Since the escalation of hostilities and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, KIND has been providing legal assistance and information to children and families displaced from Ukraine in Europe and advocating for their well-being.
In honor of World Children’s Day this week, KIND is releasing our new report, “Reducing Risks in Uncertainty: The importance of free, quality legal assistance for unaccompanied and separated children displaced from Ukraine,” which details the work of KIND and our partners in the region and outlines recommendations for how to best support children displaced by the ongoing conflict. It builds on the indicators of good practice identified and promoted in our earlier flagship publication, Advancing Protection for Unaccompanied Children in Europe.
The report, prepared together with our partners, emphasizes the continued need for providing free, quality legal assistance and child-friendly legal information for unaccompanied and separated youth displaced from Ukraine, as well as for those evacuated from alternative care settings in Ukraine. Drawing on the expertise and experience of KIND and its partners in the region, the report highlights good practices and lessons learned providing legal assistance to children displaced from Ukraine. The report also identifies the need for specialized capacity building through training and guidance and child-sensitive procedures delivered through an interagency, multidisciplinary case management process.
To increase the child-friendly information and tools available to children and their caregivers, we are developing a Know Your Rights (KYR) guide tailored specifically for children displaced from Ukraine. The guide is informed by pro bono research and focus group interviews with children and youth displaced from Ukraine, and created in partnership with youth specialists, graphic designers, and others from The Ukrainian House, a non-governmental Ukranian diaspora organization.
KIND calls on our partners, the wider legal community, policy makers, and donors to respond to the needs of displaced children with a concerted effort that will replicate good practices, address protection gaps, and support exchange of expertise and lessons learned to help ensure the safety and well-being of children displaced from Ukraine.
Read the full report here. Learn more about KIND’s work supporting unaccompanied and separated children in Europe here.
