American Mothers Can Help Bring Ukraine’s Stolen Children Home

Commentary

As you tuck into your much-deserved Mother’s Day brunch and open handmade gifts from your children, spare a thought for the thousands of Ukrainian mothers who are still waiting for their kids to come home.

Since 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin has snatched 20,000 Ukrainian children. Thanks to heroic volunteer rescue efforts, more than 2,000 children have been returned.

Alla, a mother from Kherson in southern Ukraine, gets to celebrate this Mother’s Day with her 16-year-old son Daniel. When the Russians were heavily bombing Kherson, Daniel’s school principal asked Alla if she would like to send him to safety for a few weeks. She agreed, Daniel went to a camp in Russian-occupied Crimea, and he never returned. Daniel wanted out of captivity and found a hotline for Save Ukraine, the leading Ukrainian NGO finding, rescuing, and rehabilitating children. Daniel has been reunited with Alla. When asked what she wants for Mother’s Day—celebrated, as in the United States, on the second Sunday in May—Alla is direct, “Nothing. I have my son.”

Mother’s Day reminds us that motherhood is one of the strongest moral forces in the world. Mothers fight for peace, not war. They call for empathy, not force. They remember the vulnerable and the needy. They think about saved lives, not protected assets. They unite in solidarity to protect children.

When evil like this affects children, mothers are the first to ring the bell. Yet Ukrainian mothers of abducted children cannot go public. They cannot safely plead on television or hold up photographs of their sons and daughters without putting them in danger. They have to search for their children in silence, hoping that secrecy will keep them safe.

On April 23, Razom for Ukraine reminded the world of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s horrific crimes. We placed an extraordinary 230-foot-wide installation made of 20,000 teddy bears on the National Mall in Washington. Each bear represented one stolen Ukrainian child. Assembled in a mosaic, the bears spell out: “Putin abducted 20,000 Ukrainian children. Bring kids back.”

A teddy bear is a universal symbol of childhood that belongs in a bedroom, a stroller, or in a child’s arms. On the National Mall, thousands of plush toys stood in for children who are still missing and whose identities cannot be revealed so as not to endanger their rescue.

Each teddy represents a child. But who represents a mother desperately looking for her kid?

We do.

This Mother’s Day, as we celebrate the women who take care of our children, let’s stand in solidarity with Ukrainian mothers who continue looking for theirs. They need us to be their voices and advocates.

That’s why I am so grateful for First Lady Melania Trump, who is leading the way.

Mrs. Trump has made the return of children separated by Russia’s war a personal mission. Thanks to her involvement, 26 Ukrainian children abducted by Russia have been reunited with their families in Ukraine. In one painful case, two children abducted at the ages of 10 months and 3 years old were separated from their mother for three years. This spring they were finally reunited, thanks to the First Lady.

In a noisy world, Mrs. Trump’s work has been quiet, impactful, and maternal. She has used her position to press for the return of Ukrainian kids caught up in the largest case of missing children since World War II.

Her example is a reminder that one mother, acting with determination, can affect the lives of families far beyond her own home.

Throughout history, mothers have often been the ones who force societies to act. Mothers organize when institutions stall. Mothers pray when hope is thin. Mothers insist that the vulnerable not be sacrificed for convenience, calculation, or diplomatic tidiness.

The abduction and re-education of children are not a side issue in Russia’s war. It is central to the nature of the invasion of Ukraine. Russia is not only trying to seize land. It is trying to seize the future of Ukraine by taking its children, cutting them off from their families and country, and teaching them to forget who they are.

Americans understand the sacred bond between parent and child. We understand that children are not property of the state. A government powerful enough to steal children is a government that must be confronted with moral clarity and strength.

This Mother’s Day, American mothers can do something meaningful for Ukrainian mothers who cannot safely speak for themselves.

We can ask Congress to keep the return of abducted Ukrainian children at the center of any negotiations with Russia and continue funding the rescue and rehabilitation of Ukrainian children.

Now more than ever, it is important to speak out about the abducted children in your church, school, and community. And pray. Many child rescue operations are nothing short of miraculous. Families often rely on brave volunteers, quiet negotiations, persistence, and faith. Prayer is the powerful companion of action.

It is our duty to ensure that Ukraine’s abducted children are not forgotten. Their mothers are not alone. With enough courage, prayer, and action, more of these children can come home.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.