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International Child Welfare Nonprofits Express Concern About Orphan Trafficking due to Ukraine Family Separation and Orphan Crisis

3/18/2022

International Child Welfare Nonprofits Express Concern About Ukraine "Orphan Crisis"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, March 18, 2022
Contact: Melody Curtiss melodycurtiss@helpingchildrenworldwide.org
703-793-9521 ext. 101

US Based Helping Children Worldwide and International Nonprofits warn US citizens to refrain from taking action that will cause permanent damage to children separated from their families due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

CHANTILLY, VA. — Today, US Based Helping Children Worldwide and International Nonprofits warned that well-meaning people could be misled by less scrupulous organizations to cause children separated from parents permanent injury and might inadvertently break the law.
“It has come to our attention that some organizations are beginning to suggest that a way for American citizens to help children caught in the conflict of war in the Ukraine would be to offer their home to children separated from family,” said Melody Curtiss, Executive Director, “and while that is a noble idea, we believe that it is of paramount importance to ensure that international adoptions are exclusively conducted through the State Department's recognized adoption processes. We agree with the National Council for Adoption that now is not the time for US citizens to consider new adoptions from Ukraine.”

Better Care Network’s Florence Martin joined with Helping Children Worldwide’s statement of concern, and noted that “the Ukraine has placed a moratorium on adoption, including inter-country adoptions, during the emergency, in line with international law. UNICEF clearly reiterated this in its Guidance for protecting displaced and refugee children in and outside of Ukraine. The same moratorium applies to countries that have taken children displaced from Ukraine.”

Dr. Laura Horvath of Helping Children Worldwide expressed her concern due to lessons learned over the past twenty years working in Sierra Leone after a devastating eleven-year civil war that tore families apart in several countries in Western Africa, “We are aware that historically, war makes family separation more likely and the tracing of children by parents when they are able to be reunited becomes more difficult when they are removed from their country, and adoption makes that impossible.” She added that “it is important to highlight what has come up a number of times in our conversations today, that even when a child’s parents have died, children are often cared for by other relatives. Also, many children living in orphanages in Ukraine are not orphans.”

Jedd Medefind of Christian Alliance for Orphans said, “Many children in Ukraine have lost parents and more almost certainly will. After securing their safety, we need to do all we can to locate surviving relatives, kin, and/or other personal connections. Some of these children may someday need adoption, but amidst the upheaval of war, our focus must remain solidly on immediate protection, basic needs, and quality care.”

The following organizations joined in Helping Children Worldwide’s statement of concern: Beth Bradford and Anne Smith, Changing the Way We Care; Florence Martin, Better Care Network; Debbie Harvey, Helping Hatian Angels; Brent Phillips, Cherish Uganda; Phil Aspegren, Casa Viva; Katie Milazzo, All for One; Rev. Wayne Lavender, Foundation For Orphans; Julie Walton, Global Child Advocates; Dan Hope, Strengthening Familes and Children; Ashley Stoll, Red Meets Green; Jessica Davis, Kugatta; Jedd Medefind, Christian Alliance For Orphans.
Helping Children Worldwide is compiling a list of vetted organizations working in the Ukraine.

If you are interested in helping an organization working to reunite children and families facing this horrific conflict, you can find the information at https://www.helpingchildrenworldwide.org/latestnews

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Urgent Appeal Regarding Ukraine

3/17/2022

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It has come to our attention that some organizations are beginning to suggest that a way for American citizens to help children caught in the conflict of war in the Ukraine would be to offer their home to children separated from family.

While that is a noble idea, we believe that it is of paramount importance that international adoptions are exclusively conducted through the State Department's recognized adoption processes. We agree with the National Council for Adoption that now is not the time for US citizens to consider adoptions from Ukraine.

We are aware that historically, war makes family separation more likely and the tracing of children by parents when they are able to be reunited becomes more difficult when they are removed from their country.

It is important to highlight that “(e)ven when a child’s parents have died, children are often cared for by other relatives. Also, many children living in orphanages in Ukraine are not orphans,” according to a State Department spokesperson.

If you are interested in helping an organization already working to reunite children and families facing this horrific conflict, please consider our friends at Hope and Homes.

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