Global Rights Compliance (GRC) was honoured to co-host, together with Ukraine and with the support of the European Union, a dedicated side event at the 24th Assembly of States Parties (ASP24). The discussion examined one of the most urgent and devastating global crises: the disappearance of children in armed conflict.
The event brought together justice actors, civil society organisations, and survivor and family networks to illuminate the scale of violations in Ukraine, Sudan, and Syria, and to strengthen victim-centred approaches to accountability.
His Excellency Mr Andriy Kostin, Ambassador of Ukraine to the Netherlands, opened the discussion by outlining the breadth of crimes committed against Ukrainian children, including forcible transfer, unlawful recruitment and use, torture, inhuman treatment, sexual violence, and systematic indoctrination. He noted that hundreds of children have been killed or injured, thousands of criminal proceedings have been registered, and tens of thousands are known to have been forcibly displaced—figures which are likely far higher due to limited access to occupied territories. He emphasised the longstanding disregard for international law and the disproportionate suffering borne by the most vulnerable. He also commended the ICC Office of the Prosecutor for its arrest warrants related to the unlawful deportation of children, describing these actions as a historic step towards accountability.
Wayne Jordash KC, President of GRC, highlighted that the disappearance of children in conflict is a global criminal phenomenon demanding a coordinated international response. He underscored the importance of bringing together diverse expertise to improve understanding of these patterns of abuse and to advance collaborative, victim-centred justice strategies.
Patterns of abuse in Sudan
Ikhlass Ahmed Altaher Eisa, representing the Strategic Initiatives for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA), provided an assessment of the situation in Sudan. She reported that disappearances began from the first day of the conflict, with SIHA having tracked around 300 cases of disappeared women and girls—likely only a fraction of the true scale. She described two emerging patterns: in newly captured areas, girls are seized during attacks by the RSF; and as control is established, disappearances become systematic and targeted, often involving abductions for rape, sexual slavery and domestic servitude.
The situation in Ukraine
Alla Perfetska of Voices of Children described several recurring patterns observed across Ukraine.
She explained that the most systematic driver of children going missing is forced deportation and unlawful transfer carried out by Russian authorities. Children are frequently taken across borders without parental consent, placed in foster care, or processed through accelerated adoption procedures, leaving families without information for months or even years.
She also noted that frontline attacks and rapid displacement often separate children from their families, sometimes within Ukraine’s borders, rendering them untraceable to relatives. In occupied territories, many children are absorbed into closed institutions, military-run camps, or informal re-education systems, where their whereabouts can remain unknown for extended periods.
Specific challenges in Syria
Hala Turjman of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic outlined the unique difficulties facing Syrian families. She highlighted the impact of the long duration of the conflict, the lack of records from transfers between locations, the destruction of archives, and the complexity of searching across borders. Many children were extremely young when placed in orphanages and retain little memory of their origins. She also drew attention to the emotional toll on families who, after years of searching and engaging with multiple institutions, face profound fatigue and distress.
Why are children targeted
Professor Diane Marie Amann of the University of Georgia School of Law and University College London reflected on the underlying motives behind crimes against children. She explained that harming children is often used to intimidate communities and suppress resistance, and that children are perceived as more vulnerable and malleable, which fuels practices such as child soldier recruitment. She added that children are also deliberately targeted because they embody the future of their communities; erasing or reshaping their identities can fundamentally alter or destroy the identity of the group as a whole.