Sviatlana Tsihanouskaya: “For parents, nothing is more precious than their children. Much of what we do, we do with them in mind — so they can grow, make mistakes, and dream. So they can achieve what we could not.
I am a mother of two. And I know the feeling of looking at them and thinking, “May your life be better”. May you have more opportunities. May you be happier than we were. That is perhaps the most natural wish any parent can have.
It sounds so simple, yet today’s reality in Belarus is very different. Childhood increasingly means learning to stay silent and obey, because the regime does not see children as individuals with their own personalities and dreams. It sees them as future ‘proper’ citizens.
But is that really what we want for our children? I believe every mother would agree with me that children deserve to grow up differently. They should learn to think critically and independently, ask questions, challenge ideas, and make their own choices — even the wrong ones.
Belarusian children often face enormous challenges. My own children were young when we left Belarus, but they know very well that our country is ruled by a dictatorship and that we cannot return home. Some children have parents in prison who cannot be with them. Others are growing up far from home. And some have learned far too early to be careful about what they can say at school and what is better left unsaid. Behind all of this is a child who simply needs the chance to be a child.
Protecting children is not only about safety. It is about the right to live at home and be with their parents and loved ones. It is about the freedom to ask difficult questions, to disagree, to make mistakes, and to dream. It is about growing up in a country where children can truly enjoy their childhood without fear.
And that is exactly what we are fighting for — a better future for our children”.
