A panel of experts supported by the United Nations has called on Russia to prevent the rewriting of school curricula and textbooks to reflect the government's political and military agenda, particularly in relation to the war in Ukraine. The Committee on the Rights of the Child recently conducted hearings in Geneva as part of its regular review of all UN member countries.
During the hearings, Bragi Gudbrandsson, the vice chair of the committee, highlighted the indiscriminate attacks carried out by Russia in Ukraine, resulting in the killing and injuring of hundreds of children. He also mentioned measures taken to strip deported Ukrainian children of their nationality and grant them Russian citizenship. According to Ukrainian government sources, approximately 20,000 children have been forcibly deported, although obtaining an accurate count has proven challenging. Russia has denied these claims.
Gudbrandsson, a former director-general of Iceland's child protection agency, stated, 'It is our conclusion that there is evidence of forced transfer of children from Ukraine to Russia.' The Russian government representatives attended the hearings, but no immediate comment was provided to the Associated Press, though a response is expected from Moscow.
This is the first time in a decade that the Committee on the Rights of the Child has reviewed Russia's record on children's rights. In addition to calling for the investigation of war crime allegations against President Vladimir Putin's commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, the committee also expressed deep concern about her potential responsibility. However, no mention was made of the allegations against Putin himself.
The Russian government has faced international condemnation for its deportations of Ukrainian families, including children, following Putin's order for Russian troops to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Recently, there has been scrutiny over the alleged interference by Putin's ruling party in schools, with efforts to promote a positive spin on Russia's war effort.
Alexey Vovchenko, a deputy minister of labor and social protection, who led the Russian delegation at the hearings, vehemently denied any forced removal of Ukrainians. He claimed that 4.8 million residents of Ukraine, including 770,000 children, had sought refuge in Russia.
The committee also raised concerns about the widespread and systematic state propaganda in Russian schools regarding the war in Ukraine. It highlighted the release of a new history textbook and training manual that seek to present the government's position on the conflict. The panel called on Russian authorities to prevent any attempts to manipulate school curriculum and textbooks for political and military purposes.
Ann Skelton, the committee chair, expressed particular concern about the politicization and militarization of schools, stating, 'We consider it to be a very big risk for the future of these children... who are being indoctrinated basically.'
The committee also addressed issues of sexual and other violence committed by Russian soldiers against children in Ukraine. Last year, the United Nations added Russia to its blacklist of countries that violate children's rights in conflict, citing incidents where boys and girls were killed during attacks on schools and hospitals in Ukraine.
In addition to Russia, the committee reviewed children's rights in Bulgaria, Congo, Lithuania, Senegal, and South Africa during the January hearings. The discussions aimed to shed light on the status of children's rights and identify areas for improvement in each country.
