Ce document fournit des conseils sur la manière d'appliquer les normes internationales lorsque vous travaillez avec des enfants et leurs familles touchés par cette crise. La question à poser, systématiquement - quelle que soit la décision, l'action ou le processus - est "qu'est-ce qui est dans l'intérêt supérieur de l'enfant?" Cela s'applique à des situations sur le terrain qui sont complexes et ne permettent pas de réponses faciles.

Este documento brinda orientación sobre cómo aplicar los estándares internacionales cuando se trabaja con niños y sus familias afectados por esta crisis. La pregunta que se debe hacer, de manera consistente, sea cual sea la decisión, acción o proceso, es "¿qué es lo mejor para el niño?" Esto se aplica a situaciones sobre el terreno que son complejas y no permiten respuestas fáciles.

This document provides guidance on how to apply international standards when working with children and their families impacted by this crisis. The question to be asked, consistently – whatever decision, action or process – is “what is in the best interests of the child?” This applies to situations on the ground that are complex and allow no easy answers.

More than 3.8 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion a month ago, UN figures showed March 27, but the flow of refugees has slowed down markedly. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said 3,821,049 Ukrainians had fled the country -- an increase of 48,450 from Saturday's figures. Around 90 percent of them are women and children, it added.

The Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine Maryna Lazebna said that today a formal proposal had been sent to 23 countries through diplomatic channels to conclude bilateral memoranda on protection of the rights of displaced children from vulnerable categories and a draft memorandum as well.

One month into the war in Ukraine, millions of people, mainly women and children, continue to flee their homes. As long as the conflict continues, the risk of them being targeted by criminal networks grows.

In this press release the UN Child Rights Committee asked States to provide core and integrated support to traumatised Ukrainian children, especially those who are unaccompanied.

This opinion piece published in the BMJ, argues that evidence based parenting support is needed for families in both sudden and protracted crises, to help protect children from adverse outcomes. The authors say that in emergencies, families need evidence based support that is accessible, relevant, and simple. The parenting programmes prevent and disrupt the intergenerational transmission of violence and trauma and improve mental health for parents and children. When combined with economic assistance (“‘cash plus care”) they are even more effective. 

Conflict-related traumas can trigger "elevations in heart rate, breathing and stress hormones related to the fight or flight response. Repeat exposure to toxic stress in that way can affect the developing brain of children, and it has lifelong consequences for learning, behavior and health," says Theresa Betancourt, a professor at the Boston College School of Social Work and director of the Research Program on Children and Adversity.

The European Commission established the Solidarity Program which supports EU Member States and other States to share the responsibility of recieving refugees from Ukraine. The most vulnerable refugees will be prioritized for transfer, including people with disabilities, older people, those with severe medical conditions, and mothers with young children. Unaccompanied and separated children will only be transferred following best interest procedures and family tracing.