OPEN LETTER(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)
The ENOC Bureau has issued an Open Letter raising serious concerns about intercountry adoption cases of Ukrainian children temporarily relocated to other European countries following the Russian Federation's armed aggression against Ukraine.
The letter reminds stakeholders of international children’s rights standards and safeguards in the context of intercountry adoption, and of the EU framework aimed at preserving the rights of Ukrainian children during temporary relocation in the EU.
It also highlights the grave risks of initiating adoption procedures without a full and exhaustive assessment, in collaboration with the authorities of the country of origin, of the child’s legal and family status.
The ENOC Bureau therefore calls on European, national and regional authorities to:
- ensure a coordinated European response to the signalled risks of intercountry adoption of Ukrainian children in the country of their temporary relocation
- suspend intercountry adoption procedures where a child’s legal status and adoptability have not been clearly and finally assessed and established
- strengthen cooperation with the competent Ukrainian authorities
- strengthen registration and monitoring mechanisms for evacuated children
- protect children’s family relationships, including sibling relationships
- guarantee that children’s views are heard and taken into account in all procedures affecting them.
Read the Open Letter(opens in new tab).