Interview in Slovak media – Dennik N

When children come back from Russia, unable to speak… Some for months, some only whispering – it is a silence that cries out louder than words.

September 1st, 2025

In an interview with Slovakia’s major outlet Denník N, Mariam Lambert, CEO of the Emile Foundation, explained what this silence means. She shared how we can respond.

This is what our organisation is doing to confront this tragedy:
➡️ Locating abducted children and working tirelessly to reunite them with their families.
➡️ Providing aftercare and reintegration support. Many children return fearful, traumatised, and even strangers to their own parents. Healing requires time, love, and professional care.
➡️ Building cooperation with Slovakia’s Ombudsman, Róbert Dobrovodský, and the Kancelária verejného ochrancu práv/Office of the Public Defender of Rights.
➡️ Bringing the issue to global security debates through Mariam Lambert’s role in the GLOBSEC Women Leaders Council.
➡️ Calling for stronger U.S. leadership. Even a symbolic letter from Melania Trump to Putin shows how attention matters. However, what is needed now is decisive action.

📣 To the people of Slovakia, where Russian propaganda often clouds perception: imagine your own child taken away, returned broken, unrecognisable, and silenced… These are not statistics. They are children, whose futures are being erased in real time.

A heartfelt thank you to Tomas Vasilko for the interview. Also, gratitude to Martin Poliačik for making it possible.

👉Read the full article (in Slovak) here.

#UkrainianStolenChildren #ChildProtection #HumanRights #Slovakia #EmileFoundation