Since 2024, KIND has been working to advance protection, support, and access to justice for children displaced from Ukraine through its initiative, Suzir’ya. Together with our partners, Suzir’ya has been providing direct support and essential services to unaccompanied and separated children from Ukraine in Poland and Slovakia since 2024, and in Czechia and Romania since 2025.
Ukrainian refugee children remain among the most vulnerable displaced groups in Romania and often face significant challenges when arriving in the country. Unaccompanied children are even more vulnerable as they lack the support of a guardian to help them navigate these challenges. Due to various difficulties faced during their integration process in Romania, many Ukrainian refugee children risk becoming prime targets for human trafficking and exploitation.
KIND’s Suzir’ya project is led and implemented in Romania by our partner, eLiberare, which provides frontline services including case management and legal support and builds the capacity of stakeholders and strengthens referral networks. Founded in 2013, the eLiberare Association aims to build a social movement against human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Romania, and works to provide education, prevention, and proactive identification of human trafficking. It also strives to assist and protect victims and help improve the legislative framework around trafficking.
The Suzir’ya hub in Romania is working to provide tailored protection and support services to Ukrainian children at risk of or affected by trafficking and exploitation. The hub has increased the awareness of the trafficking risks faced by children and youth displaced from Ukraine through a targeted social media campaign. It has hosted and led sessions for displaced youth in Romania to raise their awareness about human trafficking, identifying indicators, available protection measures, and information on rights and access to services. Following the sessions, the hub has conducted vulnerability assessments, individualized safety plans, and legal counselling and case management for those who need individual support.
One of the children supported by eLiberare was Oleg,* a teenager from Dnipro, in eastern Ukraine, who arrived in Romania after a journey no child should have to make alone.
Before the war, his life was like that of many young people his age. When the war reached his city, he was only 13. Faced with fear and uncertainty, he made the decision to leave on his own in search of safety. He first reached Chișinău, the capital of Moldova, but without access to adequate support, he continued his journey. Alone, he made his way to Bucharest, the capital of Romania, navigating borders and unfamiliar systems without guidance or protection.
“I just kept going because I didn’t know what else to do. I thought if I reach somewhere safe, things will get better.” he told the team.
Today, Oleg is 17 and one of the unaccompanied children sheltered in Romania safely, but his experience reflects a broader reality. Many children fleeing conflict arrive in new countries without consistent access to protection systems, making them particularly vulnerable to exploitation, including human trafficking.
“Through eLiberare’s info sessions in care centers, we reach children like Oleg early,” said Loredana Urzica-Mirea, the Executive Director of eLiberare. “These sessions focus on understanding risks, recognizing manipulation, and knowing where to seek help. Just as importantly, they create a space where children feel seen and heard. Our cultural mediator reflected after the session, ‘What stood out was not just what he went through alone, but how normal he tried to make it sound. That’s when you realize how much goes unnoticed.’ These preventive interventions are not optional. They are a critical layer of protection. With the right support, children like Oleg can begin to rebuild a sense of safety and regain control over their future.”
A vital part of our work in Romania is training and information-sharing. In 2025, KND co-organized with eLiberare several national capacity building workshops featuring a cutting-edge training curriculum designed to enhance the skills and knowledge of key actors working with and for children displaced by the war in Ukraine.
In December 2025, KIND and eLiberare led a workshop in Suceava, Romania, close to the border with Ukraine, involving Romanian and Ukrainian border police, as well as FRONTEX representatives, called “Joint Operational Training on Frontline Responses to Child Trafficking at the Ukraine-Romania Border.” These workshops brought together a team of national and international experts from diverse expertise spanning refugee and child protection, counter trafficking, international criminal justice, forensic and clinical psychology, and transitional justice.
KIND is proud to be partnering with an organization as committed to safeguarding children as eLiberare.
“eLiberare’s work is essential to protecting children displaced from Ukraine at a moment when they are at heightened risk of trafficking and exploitation,” said KIND Senior Vice President and Regional Director, Europe, Kirsty Thomson. “Through their frontline expertise, trusted community presence, and commitment to both prevention and response, eLiberare ensures that vulnerable children are not only safeguarded but also empowered with the knowledge and support they need to rebuild their lives. Our partnership through Suzir’ya demonstrates how strong local leadership is critical to delivering effective, child-centered protection systems.”
*Name changed to protect identity
