The Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine: The fate of more than 4000 orphans remains unknown
The fate of more than 4,000 orphans and children deprived of parental care remains unknown after the annexation of the Crimea. Krym.Realii reported that this was said by Ukraine’s Deputy Director of the Department for Adoption and Protection of Children’s Rights of the Ministry of Social Policy, Vladimir Vovk. He said this at a round table meeting in Kyiv.
“On the 1st of January 2014, which is the beginning of the annexation of the Crimea, 4,323 orphans and children deprived of parental care were reportedly living in the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea. A total of 672 orphans and children deprived of parental care were living in Sevastopol. There are currently only 60 children registered on the Ukrainian mainland,” Vovk said.
According to him, two family-type orphanages and three foster families moved to the mainland. However, the majority of these children remain in the occupied territory, but all of them are still registered in the Ukrainian register and databases.
“The operation of the electronic databases in this territory [the Crimea] was temporarily suspended. This is why there is no information on the whereabouts of these children. We don’t know whether they are staying in the boarding schools or with foster families,” Vovk concluded.