Ukrainian children in Turkey were punished by deprivation of food and isolation — Lubinets

The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, reported this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.

"In December, I received requests to comment on the situation involving Ukrainian children temporarily relocated (evacuated) to Turkey, which was highlighted in an investigation by Slidstvo.Info. In particular, the video report published excerpts from a report by the Ombudsman's Office prepared following a monitoring visit to Turkey, which contains sensitive information about gross violations of children's rights," he said.

He recalled that the case concerns more than 500 children from Ukrainian institutional care facilities and family-based care settings who were evacuated from the Dnipropetrovsk region to Turkey after February 24, 2022, and accommodated in hotels.

According to him, as early as the beginning of 2024, the Ombudsman's Office received information directly from the children themselves, as well as from other sources, about possible violations of minors' rights.

"In order to verify the information, my representatives visited families in the Dnipropetrovsk region to which the children had been returned from Turkey. As early as March, I initiated a monitoring visit. According to testimonies from residents of the facilities, these children were systematically subjected to physical and psychological violence by caregivers, as well as by older children against younger ones," Lubinets emphasized.

He said the children were kept in isolation; escorts prohibited them from communicating with Turkish psychologists who were present at the hotel around the clock so that the children would not report violations of their rights; they were punished by deprivation of food; and the children were able to leave the hotel premises without supervision, exposing themselves to danger in a foreign country.

The official noted that all identified violations were confirmed by the Chief Ombudsman of Turkey, who signed a separate report following the visit, and whose representatives, along with staff of Turkey's Ministry of Family and Social Services, were directly involved in the monitoring.

"With regard to reports of pregnant minors returning to Ukraine, it is necessary to clearly understand the consequences of disseminating such information. Publicity is a very effective tool. However, its use must always be preceded by an assessment and comparison of the risks and benefits of disclosing certain data," Lubinets said.

At the same time, he noted that the report prepared following the visit contains information that, taken together, relates to identifiable or potentially identifiable individuals (including children whose rights were found to have been violated by the monitoring group), as defined in paragraph 10, part 1, Article 2 of the Law of Ukraine "On Personal Data Protection," as well as other sensitive information, access to which is justifiably restricted in the interests of children, including those born as a result of these circumstances.

"It is surprising that in 2023 representatives of the Ministry of Social Policy monitored the conditions of these children in Turkey, yet in the official report stated that they were receiving proper care and access to social, medical, and other services. At the same time, the Turkish side appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine regarding violations of the rights of evacuated children. However, these appeals were not properly taken into account," the ombudsman said.

Lubinets added that all identified facts were set out in a report and sent to the Prime Minister of Ukraine and to every relevant state authority in order to take urgent response measures. In addition, materials that may indicate instances of cruel treatment of children were sent to the Office of the Prosecutor General.

"I note that information and materials concerning children whose rights were found to have been violated were not disseminated in the media or otherwise shared with any third parties due to the sensitivity of the information. Respect for children's rights, including the protection of personal data and privacy, is mandatory in all response processes. Any disclosure of data that could identify a child or cause harm is unacceptable and contradicts national legislation and international standards," he stressed.

As reported, at the end of November an investigative film was presented about approximately 3,500 orphaned children who were taken abroad from the Dnipropetrovsk region at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion and evacuated to Turkey by a charitable foundation run by businessman Ruslan Shostak. The film claims that psychological and physical abuse was committed against the children in Turkey, and that two underage girls returned home pregnant by Turkish men.

Following the monitoring visit by the Ombudsman's Office regarding violations of children's rights during the evacuation to Turkey, a criminal case was opened in Ukraine concerning the improper fulfillment of duties to protect the lives and health of children. However, a year later the case was closed due to the absence of elements of a crime.

On December 10, Lubinets reported that criminal proceedings regarding the situation of orphaned children evacuated to Turkey at the start of the full-scale invasion had also been launched in Turkey.

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