Mother-328: UNICEF Lacks Desire to Deal With Acute Topics

Perhaps the activity of the Belarusians will make a difference.

Yulia Astrauko, mother of the convicted juvenile Emil Astrauko, defended by Amnesty International, told about her visit to the head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Belarus.

Emil Astrauko is imprisoned in Babruisk, correctional facility No. 2 for juvenile offenders; it was visited by the UNICEF delegation accompanied by British Ambassador Fiona Gibb a month ago. After that, Emil's mother, one of activists of Mothers 328, met with a UN official. After it, she agreed to be interviewed by the Mahiliou human rights magazine mspring.online.

- Yulia, was it difficult to get an appointment with the head of the UNICEF office in Belarus, and do you think the UN officials are aware of the situation?

- My colleagues and I from Mothers-328 movement started writing letters and appeals to UNICEF last fall, when we learned that Article 328 of the Criminal Code against juveniles violates the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Apparently, letters were received, but no answer followed. After it became known that the UNICEF delegation visited Babruisk, I immediately called the office of the organization and made an appointment. It turned out that they had already known me and remembered me for my appeals.

To be honest, I had a strange feeling about the visit. I had an appointment on May 13th. And it turned out that the Sharkovski family was invited on the same date, and their case was also of interest to international organizations. That is, since November we have been ignored, but there were at least 26 appeals with a description of cases and examinations. Now we were accepted. Mr. Rashed Mustafa Sarwar (Head of the UNICEF office in Belarus) listened and nodded. But his assistant, who introduced himself as Dmitry (Dmitry Shilin, Senior Coordinator for Child Protection), talked to us and gave answers.

- A month ago, the UNICEF delegation visited detention facility-2 in Babruisk. Did you discuss confinement conditions there?

- Yes, of course. And they said that everything there looked good. However, they mentioned that they did not walk around. They noted that there's a library, various amenities and so on. And I said that children there had only an hour of private time, so few people need that library.

There is a very important issue. UNICEF did not want to do any projects there and is not going to finance anything. As Dmitry said, this is the news, which for some reason was covered by the Belarusian state mass media. The UNICEF delegation visited the facility within the framework of the campaign on restoration of justice and re-socialization of minors. And the state media said that the UN would finance three projects for the facility-2: a media center with a TV studio, a psychological laboratory and remote access to the National Library.

- Does Rashed Mustafa Sarwar know about the rules of correctional facility No. 2?

- I told him that there were facts when children were beaten, a kettle that was available for usage, and all other cases of travesty of children. Mr. Rashed Mustafa Sarwar only listened and nodded.

But the reaction of his assistant Dmitry was really odd. He mentioned that feeding frenzy was not always helpful. When a person working in the UN agency gives advice to keep quiet, it is suspicious. I said that mothers would not be silent.

- What about violations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the Republic of Belarus in the application of article 328 of the Criminal Code to minors? Did you talk about it?

- Of course. And there was a complete understanding. UNICEF believes that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is not fully respected in Belarus, and the Belarusian office of the UN Children's Fund will try to resolve the situation with the authorities within its mandate. As far as I understand, a meeting upon the matter is being prepared at the MIA. They will discuss compliance with the Beijing Rules and compliance with the minimum set of rules for the treatment of minors.

– What is your impression of the meeting?

- I wasn't impressed. And probably, my interlocutors are not very satisfied either. In the end, it was clear that everyone was angry, although the UNICEF Head of Office, as a diplomat, was trying to remain emotionless.

But there is something to compare with. Mothers 328 meet with ambassadors from different countries and representatives of international organizations - all of them are eager to help in some way, express sympathy and compassion. I did not see this at UNICEF. Although we understand that the work of the United Nations Children's Fund requires a lot of money, and in my opinion, the impact could be more significant. It's obvious that they still lack desire to deal with acute topics. Perhaps, the activity of Mothers 328 will make a difference. After all, we simply have no other option.

For reference: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was found shortly after the end of World War II, in 1946. This is the world's largest organization under the auspices of the United Nations; it defends the rights of children in more than 190 countries and territories. It focuses most of its efforts on the most vulnerable groups - children under the age of 8; children with disabilities; those left without parental care; adolescents in conflict with the law; children and women who have suffered violence.

In late March, Amnesty International launched an urgent campaign demanding protection of the rights of minors Emil Astrauko and Vasil Sauchenkou. In 2018, these seventeen-year-old students were sentenced to 10 years in prison. According to human rights defenders, this punishment is too harsh for teenagers. In 2015, a presidential decree introduced criminal liability under Article 328 of the Criminal Code "Illicit trafficking of drugs" from the age of 14. The maximum penalty is up to 25 years in prison.