Role of the Belarusian regime in displacing, re-educating and militarizing Ukrainian children will be discussed at the OSCE

Human Rights Centre ZMINA, Regional Center for Human Rights, Human Rights Center “Viasna”, BelPol and Freedom House are organizing a side event “Stolen Childhood: Role of the Belarusian Regime in Displacing, Re-educating and Militarizing Ukrainian Children” at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. It will take place on the 4th of October at 2:30 PM in the Krolewski Hall.

After the occupation of the Crimean peninsula and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the Russian Federation began implementing a policy aimed at eradicating Ukrainian identity in the occupied regions, a policy the scale and systematic nature of which has significantly increased since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The transfer of Ukrainian children from the occupied territories to Russia and Belarus for “recreational activities” in camps is an integral part of this policy. Ukrainian children are subjected to local education, as well as cultural and militarized events, all of which are aimed at Russification and erasing their Ukrainian identity. 

This side event will feature a focused discussion on the indoctrination and militarization of Ukrainian children in re-education camps in Belarus, framed as a potential crime against humanity – discriminatory persecution. Experts and human rights defenders will examine the systematic efforts to erase Ukrainian identity through forcible Russification, military propaganda, and ideological conditioning in these camps. 

The event aims to highlight the urgent need for accountability, explore legal avenues for prosecution under international law, and reinforce the international community’s commitment to protecting the rights of the child amidst ongoing conflict.

At the event, speakers will discuss:

• The role of the Belarusian regime in displacing, re-educating and militarizing Ukrainian children
• Types of re-education, militarization and other efforts Belarus entails to erase the Ukrainian identity of children after their displacement
• Perpetrators involved in financing, organizing and implementing the policy of displacement, re-education and militarization on the Belarusian side, as well as the Union State
• Legal prospects of prosecuting the indoctrination and militarization of Ukrainian children in Belarus as crimes against humanity in the ICC.

Opening remarks:

• Ambassador Michael Kozak, United States Department of State

Speakers:

• Onysiia Syniuk, Legal Analyst, Human Rights Centre ZMINA
• Kateryna Rashevska, Legal Expert, Regional Center for Human Rights
• Pavel Sapelko, Member of the Board, Human Rights Center “Viasna”
• Uladzimir Zhyhar, representative of BelPol

Moderator:

• Juri Jurkevits, Program Officer, Freedom House