On June 1st, International Children's Day, the Embassy of Ukraine to the Republic of Botswana officially publishes a Joint Communiqué on the rights of Ukrainian children affected by the war.docx. The document was officially presented during a high-level round table with civil society leaders, held as part of the visit to Botswana by a Ukrainian government delegation led by Ms. Daria Herasymchuk, Advisor-Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for children’s rights and rehabilitation.

The visit, which took place from 4 to 7 February 2025, aimed to raise awareness of the mass abduction and unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to official figures, over 20 000 cases have already been documented, with estimates suggesting the real number may be far higher, reaching up to 700 000. Ukrainian children are being forcibly transferred into Russian custody — many sent to boarding schools or adopted into Russian families — in violation of international law, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Geneva Conventions.

The Communiqué, developed by a coalition of Ukrainian child rights organizations, outlines concrete demands to the international community to help secure the return, rehabilitation, and reintegration of these children, and to hold those responsible accountable.

During the round table in Gaborone, the document received formal endorsement from three leading Batswana NGOs:
🔹 Stepping Stones International
🔹 Childline Botswana
🔹 Women Against Rape

This shared commitment reflects a growing international consensus: that children must never be used as weapons of war, and that justice and accountability are essential to protecting their future.