Debat 'Protection of Ukrainian Children Rights – Opportunities and Challenges'

Human rights activists Yevhen Zakharov and Tetiana Semikop – two leading experts currently working in Ukraine – will discuss the violation of children’s rights in war-torn Ukraine and the rights of children abducted to Russia. Their presentations and discussion will be followed by a panel discussion on the situation of Ukrainian children, adolescents and young people in Belgium, in particular on their education and integration into Belgian society, and on their possible return and reintegration into Ukrainian society.

Ukrainian young adults studying in Belgium will participate in the discussion and reflect on their situation and challenges. Merel Selleslach from the Peace Institute, Annemarie Gielen from Pax Christi, Alyona Samar from Missing Children Europe, and Mariya Yasenovska from European Disability Forum will take part in the panel. Local Ukrainian activists will be present in the room. After the discussion, we will offer the guests sandwiches and drinks. Afterwards, all interested parties can visit the faculty library, where a joint exhibition of nine young Ukrainian photographers living in Belgium

Programme and Speakers

Presentations:

Eugen Zakharov (Kharkiv, Ukraine) – Head of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group and leading expert on the projects Voices of the War and Tribunal for Putin (T4P). His presentation will focus on the documentation of war crimes committed by the Russian army against civilians, with particular attention to the cases of captured, deported, detained, and convicted civilians, including children. He will also address the process of gathering this information and its potential use in legal proceedings, such as those before the International Criminal Court.

Tetiana Semikop (Odesa, Ukraine) – Head of the civil society organization Vira. Nadija. Lubov (Faith, Hope, Love). She will present on the current situation of Ukrainian children affected by the war, highlighting both immediate challenges and longer-term impacts.elgium is currently taking place.

Panel Discussion with:

• Merel Selleslach – Researcher at the Flemish Peace Institute. Her work focuses on peace in foreign policy, enhancing collaboration with other European peace institutes, and engaging broader audiences on peace-related issues.
  More about Merel Selleslach

• Annemarie Gielen – With Pax Christi Flanders since 2002, Annemarie served as the regional coordinator for Eastern Europe for ten years, then as director from 2012 to March 2021. She currently works as a movement officer for Conflict Regions.
  More about Pax Christi Flanders

• Alyona Samar – Senior Programmes Officer and Focal Point on Migration at Missing Children Europe. She is involved in initiatives such as SafeBorders and projects supporting Ukrainian children affected by migration.
  More about Alyona’s work
  More about Missing Children Europe

• Mariya Yasenovska – Ukrainian human rights expert with over 20 years of experience in the NGO sector. She specializes in non-discrimination, disability rights, gender equality, and children's rights. Mariya has led major coalitions in Ukraine, worked with the Council of Europe, the UN, OSCE, and USAID, and has developed educational materials and conducted human rights assessments across various institutions. She is also the founder of the InclusOn Festival in Kharkiv.
  More about Mariya Yasenovska
• Two representatives of Ukrainian youth living and studying in Belgium.

Target Audience:

• Academics in the fields of political science, sociology, international law, social work, history, European studies, and Slavic studies
• Representatives of Flemish organizations concerned with the situation of Ukrainian children
• Members of Ukrainian schools and other Ukrainian organizations in Belgium
• Journalists and members of the general public with an interest in the current situation in Ukraine

Co-organizer:

Experts from the Anti-Discrimination Centre Memorial Brussels: Stephania Kulaeva (historian) and Olga Abramenko (PhD in Philology). Both are specialists in the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples, as well as women, children, migrants, stateless persons, and other vulnerable groups. They are (co-)authors and (co-)editors of numerous analytical reports - including submissions to the UN, Council of Europe, EU, and OSCE - as well as articles and opinion pieces, including for Radio Liberty.

Anti-Discrimination Centre Memorial-Brussels has been working on opposing discrimination and promoting minorities and indigenous peoples' rights for more than 20 years, initially based in St. Petersburg. After closure in Russia due to the state repressions, the organisation successfully deployed its activities from Brussels as an NGO registered in Belgium.

ADC Memorial belongs to a famous Memorial movement, a network of civil initiatives focused on overcoming of totalitarian Soviet past and promoting Human Rights; in 2022, the Memorial movement shared the Nobel Peace Prize with its Ukrainian and Belarusian colleagues.

Over the years, the organization has become a leading expert group in the field of protecting the rights of minorities, indigenous peoples and vulnerable groups in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Over the decade, ADC Memorial has shared its expertise with various international stakeholders, submitting dozens of analytical reports to the UN Committees, structures of the OSCE and the European Union on a wide range of topics and various protected groups, from multimillion ones (for example, women's rights to equal access to employment, or the rights of migrant workers) to specific small groups (ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, LGBTIQ+).

General information about the organisation’s work can be found in the report dated to its 10th anniversary (2023).