The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said that the office has recorded an increase in the number of Ukrainian children being taken from refugees from Ukraine by the social services of the European Union. 

It is noted that as of December 31, 2023, the Commissioner's Office received information from the National Social Service about 255 Ukrainian children who were taken away by local social services abroad.

"In January 2024, I, as the Ombudsman of Ukraine, sent a letter to Prime Minister Shmyhal, in particular, asking him to take all possible measures to establish cooperation at the level of competent authorities and intergovernmental (interstate) agreements with other countries. The main goal is to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children to their legal representatives," Lubinets said.

Lubinets emphasized that a common reason for such situations is the lack of relevant documents from parents and other legal representatives, as well as improper fulfillment of parental responsibilities, according to EU law, such as raising the voice, any physical influence on the child to calm him or her down, leaving the child unattended by adults for a long time.

According to him, the worst situation is in Germany, where 71 such cases have been recorded, followed by Poland (33), Italy (25), the Czech Republic (24), and Sweden (17).