Amidst the ongoing conflict with Russia, underage children are being taught to use deadly weapons of war under the pretext of ‘civilian self-defence classes’ on the outskirts of the city of Lviv in Western Ukraine.
It must be mentioned that the recruitment of children, below the age of 18 years, in hostilities violates the human rights law. The International Criminal Court defined the use of ‘child soldier’ (children below the age of 15) as a war crime.
Despite this, a section of the media has been glamorising the use of children in armed conflict. On Friday (March 4), Ugandan newspaper The Daily Monitor reposted images, originally published by news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP), wherein children were seen using assault rifles.
In a tweet, The Daily Monitor wrote, “Children learn how to use an AK-47 assault rifle during a civilians self-defence course in the outskirts of Lviv, western Ukraine, on March 4, 2022.”
The Ugandan newspaper and AFP did not pay heed to the fact that the disturbing images glorify the use of ‘child soldiers’ and increase their recruitment amidst the Russian invasion in Ukraine. These pictures violate the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on non-sensational coverage of child soldiers.
“This policy protects against the sensational use of images that show armed child soldiers acting or posing as aggressors – including all those holding weapons…As children, however, they are also, by definition, forced combatants. While recognizing the importance of reporting on them, UNICEF emphasizes their status as children and coerced victims, a status that is much harder to emphasize if they are represented in sensationalized ways,” states UNICEF.
Photographs lionizing child soldiers are extremely troubling and a journalism organization needs to adhere to ethics. These are @UNICEF guidelines, extremely disappointing @AFPphoto pic.twitter.com/HpuEtKf7sS
— Chirag Wakaskar (@chiragwakaskar) March 4, 2022
Ukraine and the issue of child soldiers
Besides irresponsible reporting by a section of mainstream media, several videos have surfaced on social media where children as young as 8 were heard giving calls for defending Ukraine. One such video was posted by popular Twitter user, Red Bait (@red_baiting)
“My father Stephan Baida is a defender of Mariupol. In 2014, he liberated Marinka, Shirokino and Mariupol and now he is defending Mariupol till the last. I am 8. That’s how much my father is fighting,” the child ‘soldier’ was heard as saying.
He called upon all Ukrainians and Europeans to defend the city of Mariupol, which is located in the Eastern part of the country. “Give them weapons, close the sky! Mariupol is Ukraine. Ukraine is me,” the minor boy announced.
Azov using a child for propaganda to call for a no fly zone to protect his father Stepan pic.twitter.com/Zi7F7dI2WW
— Red♦️Bait (@red_baiting) March 6, 2022
The problem with Ukraine’s child soldiers is not new. Eighteen-year-old Yaroslav Hrytsiuk, who returned from Canada to fight for his home country Ukraine, had confessed about receiving military training in high school.
“Born in Ukraine in 2004, Mr Hrytsiuk said he has been battle-trained. He learned how to use Kalashnikov assault rifles and bayonet knives as a younger teenager in Ukraine before he came to Canada in 2021 to stay with relatives and pursue a better education,” reported The Globe and Mail.
18-year-old Yaroslav Hrytsiuk is returning to his home country Ukraine to fight the invading forces of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He hopes to join his father, who is preparing to fight Russians invading their home city of Lviv. https://t.co/Tz9Ffrw1BO pic.twitter.com/trrqrbEESt
— The Globe and Mail (@globeandmail) March 2, 2022
Prior to the breakout of the full-fledged war, The Daily Mail had reported on February 5 as to how Ukraine had placed school children, including 4-year-olds, in military training camps in the hopes of thwarting a Russian invasion. The children were trained either with wooden replicas of Ak-47 or with live rounds.
While speaking about providing military training to her two 4-year-old sons Taras and Bohdan, their 35-year-old mother had remarked, “I don’t think they understand the war and what is happening but they love everything to do with the military. If they want to be soldiers when they grow up and fight to defend their homeland I will not stop them.”
In January, The Sun had reported how the Ukrainian military conducted training for young children.
The article read, “CHILDREN get to grips with guns as they prepare to defend their country from a looming invasion threat. Some were shown how to use live weapons yesterday, while others were taught how to hold wooden replicas of Russian Kalashnikov rifles in case they need to use the real thing.”
It further added, “The Ukrainian military held a training day in Kyiv, where civilians of all ages were given expert tips from experienced weapons instructors.”
A day after Russia invaded the Eastern European country, the Official Twitter account of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on February 25 this year called upon civilians, of all ages (including ‘minors’) to join the armed conflict.
“Today, Ukraine needs everything. All procedures for joining are simplified. Bring only your passport and identification number…There are no age restrictions,” read the tweet.
Even in 2014, Ukrainian media were seen hailing a 17-year old boy for working as a sapper for 2 months in a conflict zone. BBC reported, “Speaking from hospital, he told 5 Kanal that he had lied about his age to enlist in a volunteer battalion. But his commander seemed to be aware of how young he was.”
Ukraine has been using child soldiers to fight Russian forces in complete violation of international human rights laws, with the media aggravating the issue with glossy coverage and sensationalisation.
