PARTICIPATE IN THE NATIONWIDE ACTION: "INSIDE OUT - PUBLISH THE ERA" !
APRIL, 5TH 2024
Inside Out Action: Shedding Light on the Kidnapped Ukrainian Children by Russia
On August 23rd at 8:00 a.m., on what’s to become one of the hottest days in the summer, I met the volunteer team at the Daley Plaza. A team of about 10 people came from all across Chicago to devote a few hours of their time to paste a very important Inside Out Action called “Russia Kidnaps Ukrainian Children Like Me”. This Action was meant to bring attention to the thousands of Ukrainian children who had been kidnapped by Russia since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Unsettling Numbers
According to Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab, as of February 2023, 6,000 Ukrainian children had been reported as kidnapped. The Ukrainian government's official figure today stands at a staggering 19,500, but these statistics only begin to unveil the extent of this crisis. In a startling admission, Russia recently revealed its involvement in the abduction of 700,000 children within just 18 months (View Article Here). The forcible transfer of children from one ethnic group to another is considered genocide, under Article 2 of the Genocide Convention. In connection with these war crimes and crimes against humanity, the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights.
These children’s fate is often unknown, with some being forcibly adopted into Russian families, without the ability to contact their parents. Their documents and identity are stripped of them, and the children are given new names. They are taught to fear and hate their homeland, and some are forced to join the Russian military’s war against Ukraine. It is a parent’s worst nightmare for their child to be taken away from them. Unfortunately, Ukrainians have lived with the reality of these unimaginable crimes since February 2022.
Mila, the Action's group leader, holds a poster before its pasting.
A Message Through Art
In The Group Action "Russia Kidnaps Ukrainian Children Like Me" photos I sought to highlight the innocence and beauty of Ukrainian children residing in Chicago. Visitors were asked to think of the children they were seeing in the photos and imagine that these children were being forcibly taken away from their parents by Russian occupiers, with no accountability and little hope of ever coming home.
Our mission was clear: raise awareness about these horrifying crimes, try to mobilize international organizations to facilitate the return of these innocent children to their families, and prevent further abductions from happening. Attendees were asked to capture a photo of themselves or the installation and share it on social media with the hashtag #RussiaKidnapsUkrainianChildrenLikeMe, thus amplifying the message.
Inspiration from JR's Artistry
The inspiration behind "Russia Kidnaps Ukrainian Children Like Me" stemmed from JR’s impactful work across the world. I’ve been following his projects for years, after discovering him on Instagram through one of his installations. The idea for “Russia Kidnaps Ukrainian Children Like Me” Group Action came about after I saw JR do a large-scale installation of Valeria, a little 5-year-old Ukrainian refugee, who traveled across different countries in Europe.
Volunteers pasting the Ukrainian children's portraits
Unity in Action
No grand undertaking can be accomplished alone. "Russia Kidnaps Ukrainian Children Like Me" was no exception. A devoted group of volunteers, consisting of friends from the Ukrainian community, played pivotal roles in the realization of this project. They helped in different ways, from bringing their children for a photoshoot in my home from large distances away, in rain or shine, beating heavy traffic; to helping paste the portraits in the scorching heat. Collaboration with the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Illinois Division, further strengthened the undertaking. Their support, including funding of the location and a platform to address the issue on Ukrainian Independence Day’s Flag raising, was instrumental in making this project powerful.
Emotions and Realizations
Throughout the journey of working on this project, participants and I grappled with a whirlwind of emotions, from joy to profound sorrow. While researching the subject of child kidnappings by Russians I had to go deep into the statistics and details of what was being done. It became painfully clear that over 700,000 children have been kidnapped from Ukraine to Russia so far, and it’s in fact a systematic effort. Whether the children are placed in filtration camps or adopted into new families (even though they have families back home), they are never given a chance to go back home. We all kept thinking of these kids and the horror they must have experienced, being the most innocent ones affected by this war and the most powerless. I heard from several participants that some of them knew of children who were taken away. Others shared that some children are being human trafficked in Russia and sold for organs. This information is nothing short of heart-wrenching.
Volunteers installing the portraits on the floor.
Impact on the Community
The "Inside Out" Group Action had a profound impact on the Ukrainian and American communities. It served as a therapeutic outlet for Ukrainians, providing solace in the knowledge that even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, individuals can make a difference, no matter how small.
We hoped that people passing by the installation would stop to look at the pictures and try to learn more about the issue, and that’s exactly what happened. On the other hand, we understood that most people weren’t aware of the kidnappings at all because there it is not mediatized in the US.
Challenges and Lessons
We faced a few challenges with this project, from finding the right location, to getting the right glue for the pasting, to the funding of the project, to finding parents that were willing to come during a 2-day period to have their child photographed, to having the news outlet that interviewed me about this project completely omit the coverage. In the end, these challenges can hardly be called challenges in comparison to what the Ukrainian people are going through every single day.
Mila interviewing participants about the Action
The project underscored a vital lesson: even when problems feel grand and insolvable, you can still do something, even if it’s the smallest step.
JR's art served as a reminder that everyone possesses the power to shed light on important issues, even those that seem unsolvable.
"Russia Kidnaps Ukrainian Children Like Me" stands as a testament to the resilience, unity, and determination of the Ukrainian community that refuses to remain silent in the face of injustice. This project reveals that collective action fueled by compassion and commitment can help make change even on the greatest world issues.