Lifeline Children’s Services Supports Senate Resolution Condemning Kidnapping of Ukrainian Children
Birmingham, AL, March 31, 2023 –On Friday, Herbie Newell, President and Executive Director of Lifeline’s Children’s Services, issued the following statement in support of S.Res.128, “A resolution condemning the Russian Federation’s kidnapping of Ukrainian children.” The resolution was authored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.):
“The suffering of orphaned Ukrainian children is appalling, and we must speak out against the abuses perpetrated by the Russian Federation – which constitute crimes against humanity.
“The Russian Federation has kidnapped and relocated at least 6,000 children from their homes in Ukraine – and possibly tens of thousands more. They are now subject to re-education or adoption to Russian parents, or are at risk of being trafficked. Every single one of these children has a face and a name, and we cannot forget their plight. And we in America cannot have compassion fatigue; we all have a role to play here, whether it’s through advocacy or through giving resources to the ministries performing life-saving work in Ukraine.
“I thank Sens. Klobuchar and Graham for introducing this much-needed resolution, and I call upon senators to support it. We cannot be silent in the face of these outrages.”
Russia’s federal government has systematically relocated at least 6,000 children from Ukraine to a network of re-education and adoption facilities in Russia-occupied Crimea and mainland Russia. The Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab identified 43 facilities involved in holding children from Ukraine since Russia’s February 2022 invasion.
These findings indicate that most camps have engaged in pro-Russia re-education efforts, and some camps have provided military training to children or suspended the children’s return to their parents in Ukraine. Other facilities are housing children who are put up for foster care or adoption in Russia.
Deportation, or forced transfer of a population, is a violation of international law and considered a crime against humanity.
About Lifeline
Lifeline Children’s Services is the largest Evangelical Christian adoption agency in America, with offices in 17 states. It serves vulnerable children and families through private domestic and international adoption, family restoration, and pregnancy counseling. Lifeline has a long history of serving vulnerable children in Ukraine.
###