20/02/2022 10:03

Commissioner: conscription of minors in ORDLO violates the Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War

According to the information received by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights from partner human rights organizations working in ORDLO, raids on the so-called Ministry of State Security "DPR" and "LPR" began after the announcement of general mobilization in territories not controlled by the Government of Ukraine.

Even underage boys over the age of 17 are eligible. In the so-called "military schools" of the NPF "DPR" and "LPR" cadets aged 16-18 were ordered to bring to combat readiness with further participation in hostilities.

"Such actions violate Article 51 of the Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, which prohibits the involvement of children in armed conflict. UN Security Council Resolution 2427 (2018) emphasizes that children who have been recruited for violations of applicable international law by armed forces and armed groups and for crimes committed during armed conflicts must be treated primarily as victims of violations of international law, and urges the Member States to comply with their obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, "said Ludmila Denisova.

The Commissioner calls on the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), international human rights organizations to respond to the involvement of children in armed conflict and the forced conscription of children, citizens of Ukraine, in the temporarily occupied territories, to join illegal armed groups.