Nearly 400 children returned to Kyrgyzstan from Iraq and Syria continue receiving necessary support

August 6, 2024, BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - An additional 22 children and their mothers were repatriated to Kyrgyzstan from Syria in July, bringing the total number of children repatriated from conflict zones by the Government of Kyrgyzstan to 396. UNICEF is providing psychological support, health care, and other essential services to all 396 children who have been repatriated from Syria and Iraq since 2019. This important work is carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Labour, Social Welfare and Migration, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Science, and financial support from the European Union and the United States.

“Due to various circumstance, these children have lived and grown up in extremely difficult conditions, affecting their health and psychological wellbeing. Some of them don’t speak Kyrgyz or Russian, don’t have education. It’s critical to help them recover mentally and adapt to their new communities,” noted Jyldyz Polotova, Minister of Labour, Social Welfare and Migration.

After children arrive, social workers who are trained to provide tailored support to repatriated children assess the needs of each child and their mother and work with the family to ensure they can receive all the support needed to reintegrate them into their communities. This includes psychosocial support and health care. Children and mothers also undergo an educational assessment to identify which grade they can go to in school with tutoring made available to support their individualized needs and educational advancement. Following this, the Government provides the support needed for children to go home – to their aunts and uncles, grandparents, alongside their mothers.

“The repatriations of children are an example of the Government of Kyrgyzstan’s commitment to upholding children’s rights set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF will continue to support the Government to ensure these children receive the care they need to overcome the difficult experiences they have faced, to restore their childhood, and facilitate their social and educational reintegration,” said Samman J. Thapa, UNICEF Representative in Kyrgyzstan.

In 2020, using internal resources, UNICEF and the ICRC have trained 75 psychologists to provide psychological support once the children arrive back home. Additionally, 117 social workers have been trained to support the needs of repatriated children and their mothers to ensure they can rebuild their lives in Kyrgyzstan.

Since 2021 the European Union and since 2023 the United States have been co-funding this important work.

“Bringing the children home is a big and important step, but there is a lot of work ahead to make sure they adapt to their communities and live a full life as children. We’re proud to work with the Government of Kyrgyzstan and other partners to ensure the wellbeing of the repatriated children” said Marilyn Josefson, Ambassador EU delegation Kyrgyzstan.

UNICEF supported the training of 118 education specialists to provide basic psychological, pedagogical, and social support to help the children join formal education. These specialists support children with their learning according to their individual needs.

“We are proud to have supported the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in bringing its women and children home. We look forward to now supporting their reintegration into their communities and the opportunity to start a new life,” said U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Lesslie Viguerie.

One of the key elements for successful reintegration of these children is the availability of trained child protection social workers who can provide day-to-day support to the families and children. In this context, UNICEF welcomes Kyrgyzstan’s recent initiative to increase the number of these social workers.

UNICEF will continue to support the reintegration of children and their mothers by training more social workers and teachers, and by supporting communities and families where the children reside to help create friendly and welcoming environments for them.