Abduction of Ukrainian children as a weapon of war: legal truths from Helsinki
May 15th, 2025
Mariam Lambert addressed policymakers, legal experts, and humanitarian actors at the conference, organized by the Council of Europe and the Parliament of Finland.
Continuous abductions
Speaking from the Foundation’s work on the ground, Mariam Lambert outlined the scale and cruelty of the abductions:
“We see firsthand how lives are erased, names changed, trauma imposed. This is not just a humanitarian crisis, it’s a calculated war crime.”
Today, Emile Foundation is actively supporting families of missing children, collaborating with national and international partners to identify victims, document violations, and advocate for their return.
The Little Heroes Village project
She also announced the launch of a landmark initiative: the Little Heroes Village, a dedicated centre based in Ukraine’s Volyn region.
This centre will provide crucial psychological, educational, and social support to children returning from abduction and to those living with autism, trauma, and disabilities. It will offer personalised education, support for family reunification, and specialist psychological care. A key feature of the village will be a sensory room, a safe and calming space for children with autism and trauma to find balance and begin to heal.
Parental trauma
Finally, Mariam addressed the deep and often invisible suffering of the families left behind:
“Parental trauma is the silent drama. Today, there is no systemic mental health support for the parents of kidnapped children.”
Speakers
The scale of the crisis was discussed by conference speakers:
Distinguished conference participants included:
Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director of the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University
Elina Pekkarinen, Ombudsman for Children (Finland), Chairperson of ENOC
Thordis Kolbrun Gylfadottir, Council of Europe, Special Envoy on the situation of children of Ukraine
Baroness Helena Kennedy, co-chair of the Bring Kids Back Task Force and Director of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI)
Dariia Zarivna, Operational Director of the Bring Kids Back UA Initiative
Ewa Kopacz, the European Parliament Coordinator on Children’s Rights, Vice-President, MEP
Olena Khomenko, Ukrainian MP and Chair of the PACE Network on Ukrainian Children
Victoria Litvinova, Acting Prosecutor General of Ukraine
Kateryna Rashevska, legal expert at the Regional Centre for Human Rights
Andrew Gardner, of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
Josip Buljević, Ambassador of Croatia to Finland.
