January 12th, 2026

​STATEMENT IN DEFENSE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN
​World Children & Youth Physical Education Academy (C.Y.P.E.-Academy)
Chairman: Timo Virtanen
Addressed to:
The European Union,
World leaders,
Member States of the United Nations,
and leaders of the world’s churches and religious communities

Every child is inviolable – there are no exceptions in war
We are living in a time when the suffering of children in wars is once again becoming dangerously normalized.
Bombings, shrapnel, fear, and death have become part of the daily news cycle — and precisely for that reason, we must stop and take a stand.
This is something we cannot and must not accept.
No child is a weapon of war.
No child is collateral damage.
No child is an acceptable price for power, territory, or ideology.
International law is clear and absolute on this matter:

• Children are civilians under special protection in armed conflict.
• Children’s hospitals, maternity hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and civilian homes are protected objects.
• Deliberate or reckless attacks against them constitute war crimes and often crimes against humanity.

This applies to all wars, without exception, including:

• political wars
• religious wars
• ethnic and ideological conflicts

No ideology, religion, flag, or state justifies harming a child.
Never. Anywhere.

Ukraine – children’s suffering is not a side effect, but the result of crimes
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has shown the world, in a brutal and undeniable way, that:

• children are being killed
• children are being injured and permanently disabled
• children are being traumatized
• children are being abducted and forcibly transferred

These are not statistics.
They are names, faces, families, and shattered lives.
Attacks on children’s hospitals, schools, and civilian areas are not accidents, mistakes, or unfortunate incidents.
They are serious and documented violations of international humanitarian law.
Responsibility for these acts lies unequivocally with the attacking party.

The responsibility of the EU – delays also have consequences
C.Y.P.E.-Academy holds that the European Union bears a special moral and political responsibility to protect children — not only in words, but in concrete action.
When:

• EU sanctions are weakened or delayed
• military and financial support to Ukraine is slowed down
• a common European line is diluted for national interests

this can have an indirect but real and human impact:

• prolonging the war
• weakening Ukraine’s ability to defend itself
• increasing the risk of civilian casualties, including children

In this context, we raise serious concern about the repeated opposition or delaying positions of the governments of Hungary and Slovakia regarding EU sanctions against Russia, which has caused widespread concern in Europe and beyond.
We do not accuse these states of war crimes — responsibility lies with Russia --
but we state clearly and responsibly that decisions, and the absence of decisions, have consequences for children who have done nothing to deserve suffering.

An appeal to world leaders and religious communities
We call upon:

• political leaders around the world
• UN Member States
• leaders of churches and religious communities

to show courage, moral integrity, and decisive action.
Protecting children is not:

• left-wing or right-wing
• Western or Eastern
• Christian, Muslim, or tied to any other religion

It is a universal human obligation that transcends borders, ideologies, and power politics.
Religious leaders carry a particular responsibility to:

• stand unequivocally against violence directed at children
• condemn the killing and harming of children without conditions
• be the voice of children instead of remaining silent in a world where children are too often silenced

Every child is equal under the same sun
C.Y.P.E.-Academy reminds the world of a principle that began in Finland on 21 August 1995:
EVERYBODY IS IMPORTANT
This is not merely a project.
It is a promise.
It is a moral choice.

• Every child matters
• Every child has dignity
• Every child deserves to live in safety

Regardless of:

• country of birth
• skin color
• religion
• language
• political circumstances

In conclusion: history is watching us
​History will not ask what we explained.
History will ask what we did.
The world will remember whether:

• we defended children
• or whether we justified the wars of adults

Children’s rights are not negotiable.
Children’s lives are not a geopolitical bargaining chip.
We demand:

• stronger international action to protect children
• clearer accountability
• the courage to place the best interests of the child above all else

Silence is not neutral.
Silence is taking sides.
And when it comes to children, there is only one right side.

Timo Virtanen
Chairman
World Children & Youth Physical Education Academy
(C.Y.P.E.-Academy)

Timo Virtanen