By Heather Dyer
Published in the Dallas Morning News

Seeing my teenage daughter, I’m reminded every day about the thousands of Ukrainian children deported or forcibly abducted by Russia since Feb. 24, 2022.

My daughter became an orphan at age 6, when Russia invaded Eastern Ukraine in 2014. Several of her friends were kidnapped by armed forces in the early days of the invasion, suffering untold trauma and emotional scars. In 2020, my husband and I adopted her from Ukraine. It took my daughter years to stop pointing and yelling every time she saw an airplane because it reminded her of the horror that fell from the sky when she was a little girl. Night terrors sent her into my room in the middle of the night for years.

Some days I wonder what if.

According to the U.S. State Department, tens of thousands of children “have been illegally deported from Ukraine or forcibly transferred from Ukraine’s occupied territories into Russia and Belarus, where all trace of them is often lost.” The Ukrainian government says it has documented almost 20,000 cases of deported or forcibly transferred children. Imagine the pain of loss and uncertainty these stolen children and their families feel.

Many of these children end up in Russian orphanages, boarding schools, or “summer camps” where they are forced to adopt Russian names, subjected to indoctrination and punished for speaking Ukrainian, the State Department reported.

Because access to these institutions is severely restricted by Russia, it is almost impossible to track the whereabouts of most of these children. When the war finally ends, will these children be used as bargaining chips by Russia to extort concessions from Ukraine? Every day the war drags on is one more day these children are lost. A stalemate isn’t good enough. The U.S. and the rest of the world must hold Russia accountable.

This week, Dallas is hosting a group of Ukrainians working to facilitate the return of these children. Save Ukraine is a nonprofit organization based in Kyiv and led by Mykola Kuleba, former commissioner of Children’s Rights for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Kuleba and the Ukrainian team are here consulting with local organizations such as Buckner International to study solutions for children and families traumatized by Russia’s atrocities.

Another goal of their visit is heightening awareness among Americans about the plight these children and families face. While U.S. news outlets carry daily reports about missile and drone attacks in both Russia and Ukraine, the plight of these stolen children is all but forgotten. Yet, the abduction of Ukrainian children is one of the few issues related to Ukraine uniting Americans from all political sides. In March, amid a highly polarized debate over supplemental funding for Ukraine, the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan resolution condemning Russia’s abduction of children. House Resolution 149 was approved with an overwhelming 390-9 vote. Even in the politically and culturally fraught times we live in, Americans can still unite around our shared value to use our strength to defend the vulnerable.

Save Ukraine believes it is crucial for communities in the U.S. to know about Russia’s actions, particularly the abductions and indoctrination of Ukrainian children. We believe informed Americans need to understand the urgent needs required to rescue, rehabilitate, and restore the lives of these children.

Along with rescuing these abducted children, Save Ukraine works to evacuate the most vulnerable populations from severe conflict zones. We also operate six Hope and Healing Centers where displaced children and vulnerable families receive shelter, humanitarian aid, psychosocial support and other services needed to reintegrate into family and new communities.

For most Americans, the atrocities faced by Ukrainians are half a world away. But not for me. I am reminded of what could have been every day as I watch my daughter grow up in a loving family in a country that gives opportunity and hope to its children.

We have a responsibility to learn what is happening to Ukrainian children and once we know, we must respond.

Heather Dyer
President of A Family for Every Orphan
CEO of Save Ukraine U.S.