Child exploitation in Donetsk: Russian occupation authorities launch new scheme
Illustrative photo: Donetsk schoolchildren forced to work for Russians (Getty Images)
In the temporarily occupied city of Donetsk, children are being forced to perform tasks unrelated to education. School and university students are reportedly made to carry water for so-called "special military operation veterans" and people with limited mobility, effectively turning them into unpaid labor, according to the Center for National Resistance (CNS).
Instead of focusing on lessons and personal development, teenagers in Donetsk are being sent to carry out household tasks. Educational institutions are effectively assigning students to deliver water, violating their right to education and a normal childhood.
Consequences of occupation policy
Local infrastructure in Donbas has been severely damaged by Russian military actions over the years. Now, the humanitarian crisis is being "resolved" through child labor, a move that exposes how the occupation administration hides its failures behind slogans of "care and assistance."
Exploitation disguised as aid
The involvement of school and university students in such work endangers their health and safety, serving as yet another form of exploitation, depriving young people of a normal life.
Reports of children being used as a labor force add to the evidence of war crimes in the occupied territories. Human rights organizations are urging locals to document such violations and submit evidence for future investigations.
Earlier, Russia claimed to have found a new way to "solve" the water crisis in occupied Donbas by relying on rainfall to replenish shortages in autumn and winter.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has promised soldiers fighting against Ukraine two hectares of land in occupied regions, another example of the colonial nature of the Kremlin’s aggressive policy.
