Thank you so much.

Thank you for this opportunity. Today, I speak to you about a tragedy that transcends borders: the plight of Ukrainian children. Nearly 50% of the child population in Ukraine have been displaced, deported or lost to Russia's war in Ukraine. These children are not just numbers. Half of our children are at risk. With them, our very future and the very soul of our nation are at risk.

For our children still in Ukraine, around 1.6 million Ukrainian children living in Russian-occupied territories have been subjected to relentless indoctrination and medieval colonization by the Kremlin since 2014. They have been forced to adopt the Russian language, culture, values and traditions. They have been stripped of their Ukrainian identities and forced to foster loyalty to the occupying power, including eventual forced conscription to the Russian armed forces.

Only 19,546 have been officially identified as having been forcibly deported since the full-scale invasion, which is a huge number, but it is still inaccurate. As such, it underscores the vast scale of this atrocity and the urgent need for action to locate and return these children.

In occupied territories, schools erase Ukrainian history, calling our country a failed state. Children as young as six are enrolled in militarized programs, dressed in Russian uniforms and raised to hate the west. Many frontline Russian fighters today were once Ukrainian children, who have been moulded by this propaganda since 2014. A 10-year-old boy then is now a 20-year-old Russian soldier.

Even more alarming is the forced conscription of Ukrainian boys as young as 17 from the territories occupied since 2022. These boys, coerced into accepting Russian passports, are turned into soldiers for the aggressor state. This process violates a number of international instruments, including the Geneva convention, as it represents a deliberate strategy to use young Ukrainians as weapons against their own people.

Consider Serhiy, who, at 17 years old, was forced to accept a Russian passport under the threat of losing his property. Soon after, armed soldiers issued him a draft notice at gunpoint. With our help, Serhiy escaped, but many others remain trapped in this horrifying cycle.

All these actions bear the signs of genocide. Thousands of Ukrainian children are being systematically turned into instruments of war and victims of a conflict they never chose.

At Save Ukraine, we fight to save these children and preserve an entire generation. We have rescued over 500 children and provided trauma-informed, child-sensitive and evidence-based care to heal the deep scars of war, propaganda and indoctrination. Our services reintegrate these rescued children and families into society, helping them rebuild their lives and reclaim their identity.

However, we cannot do this alone. Canada has shown the world power, responsibility and leadership. Your support across parties has been pivotal, from leading coalitions to return deported children to partnering with Hala Systems for child identification and the return of some of the children. We also deeply appreciate the Ukrainian diaspora, the Ukrainian children's congress and organizations like the Canada-Ukraine Foundation and the Temerty Foundation for their unwavering support.

Every child saved is a future restored. Together we can ensure that no Ukrainian children are left behind, no identities are erased and no dreams are stolen.

I look forward to the questions to follow. Thank you so much.

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