There was nothing obviously untoward about the woman who approached the Palanca border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova with a 15-year-old boy she said was her nephew. But something about the pair just seemed odd. The boy, in particular, appeared embarrassed and uncomfortable.

The Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. claims hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, including children, are being forcefully deported to Russia.

In 2021 and 2023 Changing the Way We Care (CTWWC) completed a household survey of children and caregivers, in demonstration countries Guatemala, Kenya and Moldova, to understand their experience of CTWWC services, the protective factors in their families, and the status of child well-being. Part of CTWWC’s evaluations, the resulting findings are designed to help CTWWC and other care reform actors to understand the successes and challenges of reintegration from residential care and the provision of family strengthening support. 

Vasyl Velychko has been tied to a bench on a baking hot day for hours, but no-one hearing his screams will untie him. The 18-year-old is one of thousands of disabled people living in Ukraine's orphanages. BBC News has gained access to five institutions and found widespread abuse and mistreatment - including teenagers restrained and adults left lying in cots for years.

Ukrainians fleeing war in their homeland found open arms across the West. But for many, reaching the United States proved to be an arduous journey charged by border politics.

Some, like Maxim Blyzniuk and Oksana Ilchishena arrived in Mexico and made it across the border with their families into the United States, only to encounter hardship on the other side. Others, like Inna Dunai, a mother of five, flew across an ocean only to find the U.S. border shut — leaving them trapped in an unfamiliar foreign country, confused and disillusioned.

"The kids here need more attention. We need staff, staff, staff." This is the plea from Mykhailo Zaidel, the director of an Ukrainian orphanage which is struggling to cope after the war sent it an influx of children. The Magala orphanage was caring for 10 children with learning disabilities before Russia invaded on 24 February. It is around 1,000 miles from the frontline but the war has cast a long shadow.

Children should be at the heart of any humanitarian or other assistance for Ukraine. Particular attention must be paid to the most vulnerable groups of children who are unaccompanied, separated from their families, disabled or from children’s institutions. Unfortunately, to this day, the international community has not identified a comprehensive action plan on how to address the dire situation of these children. The speakers will explain the current situation of children in Ukraine, the gaps and solutions that support the most vulnerable groups of children. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on Russia to stop forced deportations and "filtration" operations involving Ukrainians. Russia had detained and forcibly moved to Russia some 900,000 to 1.6 million people, many of them children, he said.

More than a quarter of Ukrainians – 12 million – have been forced to leave their homes. While about seven million are internally displaced, five million have sought asylum in neighbouring European countries, the UNHCR says. And throughout the war, observers have been noting a double standard in the treatment of refugees. While those from other conflict-hit nations are shunned by Western countries, Ukrainians fleeing war have been welcomed with open arms.

On 7 July 2022, the Better Care Network (BCN) and Disability Rights International (DRI) organised an event with disability and child protection actors focused on the situation of children with disabilities in residential care in Ukraine (including those children who have been returned to families or evacuated from facilities since 24 February 2022).