August 19, 2016

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“Unfortunately, we know first-hand what negative impact armed conflicts could have on children. According to our data, 68 children have been killed and 186 have been wounded in eastern Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict masterminded by Russia. The number of IDPs [internally displaced persons] in Ukraine, who were forced to leave their homes in war affected regions, now stands at 1.7 million, including 215,000 children. The Ukrainian government is doing its utmost to strengthen social protection of displaced children and families with children, including through elaboration of relevant legislation. …

“According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, 39 schools, kindergartens and other children’s facilities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are used for military purposes by the Russia-backed illegal armed groups. They have transformed these sites into barracks, fortified military outposts, ammunition and weapons storage facilities. On numerous occasions Russia-backed separatists used school grounds as artillery and mortar positions. There are also extremely worrying reports regarding establishment of camps, where children are trained to handle weapons, use of children for intelligence gathering and manning checkpoints. …

“The OSCE mission in Ukraine has on several occasions reported that irregular armed formations in the east are allegedly preventing young men from leaving Donetsk and forcefully recruiting them to join their ranks, which could amount to human trafficking. In particular, at DPR checkpoints, the SMM [Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] observed young armed persons, with some of the male individuals estimated to be minors. There have also been reports from various sources that children as young as 15 years old were being recruited to armed youth groups and taking part in active combat as full-fledged members of combined Russian-backed militant forces, including as youth reconnaissance and sabotage groups operating in the government-controlled territory. It all amounts to recruitment of children, which is a grave violation of international humanitarian law. In this light the fact that the U.N. secretary-general’s report on children and armed conflict does not contain any reference to the situation of Ukrainian children affected by the conflict in the Donbas region of Ukraine is an omission that should be corrected. Unfortunately, this is another example of a blind eye turned to the only ongoing armed conflict in Europe.”

– Statement by Ukraine’s delegation on August 2 during the U.N. Security Council’s open debate on children and armed conflict.

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