Ukraine simplifies the adoption procedure of Ukrainian children through a "fast digital process"
Ukraine simplifies the procedure for adopting Ukrainian children through a "fast digital process", the Ukrainian Ministry of Social Policy and the Ministry of Digital Transformation announced on Wednesday, reports CNN, according to News.ro.
About 17,000 children in Ukraine are waiting to be adopted, said Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine Kostiantin Ko?ielenko.
He mentioned that there are "several times fewer potential adoptive parents. One of the reasons is that the adoption procedure is very complicated".
The Ukrainian official emphasized that they will "implement a fast digital process", which will include only five minutes in which to submit the request for "initial consultation".
An initial adoption application can be submitted through the Diia portal starting Wednesday, and adoption applications will be able to be submitted online from August, Ko?ielenko added.
Approximately 6,506 children from orphanages have been internally displaced due to the ongoing conflict, including 4,228 who have been relocated abroad, according to a statement from the Ministry of Social Policy.
Less than half of the orphanages in the country transported children abroad or to another part of the country. Approximately 1,750 adoptive families were displaced within the country due to the war.
The war had a devastating impact on Ukrainian children.
The General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine announced on Wednesday, on Children's Day, that at least 243 children have died and another 446 have been injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24.
In addition, UNICEF stated that the lives of millions of young people have been "shaken" by the conflict. Three million Ukrainian children need humanitarian assistance inside the country, and over 2.2 million children in countries hosting refugees.
The war had "devastating consequences for children at a scale and speed not seen since World War II," UNICEF added.
Almost two thirds of the children were internally displaced due to the conflict, UNICEF also mentioned.
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