Donetsk, Aug 12 - DAN. Ukrainian ombudswoman Lyudmila Denisova regularly economizes on the truth about systemic violations of children’s rights in Donbass by Ukrainian authorities when she talks with UNICEF, Donetsk People’s Republic ombudswoman Darya Morozova said on Thursday.
Earlier, Denisova accused the leadership of the Donbass Republics of “the systemic policy of militarization of education,” which she said violated the UN convention on the rights of the child. She said that the DPR had converted schools to cadet and Cossack corps colleges where training allegedly forms a negative attitude towards Ukraine. Denisova also noted that she had already requested the head of the UNISEF Mission in Ukraine to provide assistance in this issue.
“Military colleges and patriotic education systems operate across the world. The children who join such institutions make their choice of their own accord together with their parents. It’s a normal practice that fully meets the norms of international legislation, including the UN convention, in the field of children's rights protection,” Morozova said.
She advised her Ukrainian colleague to pay attention to regular violations of the rights of children who have been living under Ukrainian army fire for the eighth year, in the conditions of the economic blockade imposed by Ukrainian authorities.
“In the DPR alone, 91 children were killed as a result of Kiev’s armed aggression,” Morozova said. “Because of the ugly Ukrainian militarism, Donbass children can discriminate between “Grad” MLRS, mortars and explosions of various shells just on hearing their sounds. For some reason, the Ukrainian ombudswoman is in no hurry to draw the attention of UNICEF and other international organizations to this problem.”
On July 22, 2021, the Russian government filed an inter-state complaint against Ukraine with the European Court of Human Rights. The complaint covers ten basic categories of human rights violations by Ukrainian authorities such as Kiev’s responsibility for civilian casualties, illegal deprivation of freedom and cruel treatment, including in Donbass during the so-called anti-terrorist operation, etc. The fighting left more than 5,000 people dead in the DPR alone.*jk