Denisova: Children being militarized in temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions

A systematic policy of militarization of children is being pursued in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

"The occupation administrations convert secondary schools into military and Cossack cadet corps, introducing a component based on the principles of ideology propaganda aimed at forming a lasting negative attitude towards Ukraine and imposing certain principles of religion," Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova posted on Telegram.

Currently, 33 cadet classes function in the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk region, where subjects of military training and Russian Orthodoxy are intensively studied and students are required to wear military cadet uniforms.

The Commissioner emphasizes that the actions of the occupation administration violate the rights of children enshrined in Article 8 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which preserves their identity, including nationality, name and family relations without unlawful interference, as well as Article 29 of the Convention, according to which children should be prepared for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance.

In order to protect the rights of children, Denisova appealed to the Head of the United Nations Children's Fund Office in Ukraine with a request to contribute to the observance of the rights of children living in the territory not controlled by the Government of Ukraine authorities and to prevent children from being involved in the armed conflict.

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