Every child deserves the right to a family. Unfortunately, war is one of the leading drivers of family separation. We're watching in horror as already-vulnerable children and families in Ukraine are now finding themselves in the most terrible of circumstances.

We understand the wish to help, and the desire to rescue a child from the war zone is understandable. However, intercountry adoption is not the answer. Children must stay with their families wherever possible. 

Even those children who have been separated from their parents at such a time cannot be assumed to be orphans. Until the fate of a child's parents or other close relatives can be verified, each separated child should be considered as still having living relatives or legal guardians and, therefore, is not in need of adoption. During humanitarian emergencies, it is a well-accepted principle of States’ obligations under international law that adoption is not an appropriate response for unaccompanied and separated children.

Lumos is pleased to endorse this joint call for a moratorium on intercountry adoption in response to the conflict in Ukraine. In line with the Ukrainian Government’s suspension of intercountry adoption, the joint statement urges receiving States, international bodies, and humanitarian agencies to adopt a harmonised approach and call for a moratorium on intercountry adoptions from Ukraine.