The World Federation of the Deaf and the Canada Ukraine Foundation call on all of their members to support deaf people from Ukraine who have been affected by Russian Federation’s military invasion of Ukraine.
This unprovoked war against Ukraine represents an unprecedented violation of international law, the principles underlying the world’s democratic order and a brutal violation of basic human rights.
Daily attacks by Russian rockets and tanks against peaceful residential areas, hospitals and schools have damaged Ukraine deaf institutions and caused many from the deaf community to flee to neighbouring countries to protect their lives and the futures of their families. Hundreds of deaf people have escaped to become refugees in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and other European countries. The Ukrainian Society of the Deaf estimates that over 1,000 of the 38,000 deaf people in Ukraine have already fled to neighboring countries, and onward throughout Europe and to Canada.
The World Federation of the Deaf and the Canada Ukraine Foundation call upon its members and supporters to:
- Issue their own statements calling on Russia to stop the war immediately
- Provide humanitarian aid to the deaf community in Ukraine and to deaf refugees (e.g. safety, housing, food, financial aid and social support) through representative national organizations of deaf people in each country.
- Inform and educate the citizens of their own countries in their national languages (spoken and signed languages) about the negative impact of this war by means of local communication through mass and social media
- Donate to support joint aid efforts aimed at deaf people in Ukraine and deaf refugees from Ukraine
Support any actions, decisions and positions made by the United Nations in regard to this conflict.