Ukraine on Saturday announced a probe into alleged sex crimes at a state children’s home after the country’s rights ombudsman visited and decried a lack of official action.
Ukraine has more than 51,000 children living in residential care, of whom 78 percent have disabilities, according to a report this month by UNICEF.
Since Moscow’s invasion in 2022, thousands of children in care have been evacuated to Russia.
The case concerns a state home in the western Lviv region housing 57 children with special educational needs and disabilities, five of whom reported abuse, Iryna Suslova, a representative of the Ombudsman for Children’s Rights, told AFP.