Statement of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova: I receive letters from international human rights organizations and Ombudsmen of various countries with words of support and condolences

01.03.2022 11:41

In the worst times for my country, it is very important to feel the shoulder of a friend and brother. Such support inspires struggle and victory. The whole civilized world is now on the side of Ukraine, on the side of our courageous people. I receive daily letters from international human rights organizations and Ombudsmen of various countries with words of support and sympathy. And not only in words. At my request, human rights institutions are becoming mediators between us and the leadership of their countries, providing up-to-date information on the state of affairs in Ukraine in connection with military intervention and initiating the provision of humanitarian assistance to our country. The European Network of Ombudsmen for the Rights of the Child (ENOC) has issued a statement calling on the aggressor country to stop the military invasion of Ukraine, which violates the rights of children and families with children. ENOC stated that it would cooperate with relevant international organizations to provide support and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and called on member states to open borders for children and families with children from Ukraine. The text of the application can be found at: http://enoc.eu/?p=4492.

The Commissioners for Children of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales called on the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson to continue to take urgent measures to condemn and sanction the actions of the Russian Federation, to work to ensure that humanitarian aid is urgent and unhindered. families in need, including through the support of relevant international organizations, as well as the necessary measures to take in asylum seekers and refugees and their families from Ukraine without delay and to facilitate their safe passage.

The Commissioners stressed that the protection of the civilian population, including 7.5 million children in Ukraine, should play a key role in the UK government's response to the conflict. In its struggle for independence, democracy and European values, Ukraine has become a model for the whole of Europe. As European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly put it: “The measures proposed by the European Union are a testament to how much support there is for Ukraine as it stands up for itself and for all of us in favor of democracy. I believe and hope that your country will win. The world was stunned by the resilience of the Ukrainian people, the courage and leadership of President Zelensky. It is the resilience and leadership that has made others act and a moral beacon in these dark times.” I thank our friends and partners for their support and help. We have a terrible enemy, but we will win! Glory to Ukraine! https://ombudsman.gov.ua/news_details/do-upovnovazhenogo-nadhodyat-listi-vidmizhnarodnih-pravozahisnih-organizacij-ta-ombudsmaniv-riznih-krayin-zislovami-pidtrimki-ta-spivchuttya Statement of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights

Statement of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova: The inability to operate destroyed educational institutions will lead to a violation of the right to education

01.03.2022 16:08

For most of us, the school year is always mentioned as one of the brightest periods of life. Knowledge of the world and its fascinating secrets, wise books, stunning tasks and lifelong friends. All this was in the lives of our children and grandchildren six days ago. Now their new reality is basements, bomb shelters, long waits at stations and borders, sirens and the roar of explosions. While the leadership of the aggressor state is trying to assure the world that it is directing shelling exclusively at military facilities, Russian troops have destroyed or damaged hundreds of educational institutions - schools, kindergartens, schools. Active hostilities do not allow to count the exact number of institutions that will not soon open their doors to children, but we can already say that dozens of them were razed to the ground in Volnovakha, Vasylkiv, Kharkiv, Okhtyrka and many other cities. The inability of destroyed educational institutions to function properly will lead to a violation of one of the fundamental human rights - the right to education, guaranteed by a number of international instruments, including Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At that time, social studies lessons "Conversation on the Important" began began in the schools of the occupying state, where children were explained that there was no war in Ukraine, only a “peacekeeping operation to protect people”. I ask the UN Human Rights Council, the international community, and our partners to take these circumstances into account when deciding on the imposition of additional sanctions on the Russian Federation for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Ukraine. https://ombudsman.gov.ua/news_details/