How are the rights of Georgian children violated in Gali district of occupied Abkhazia? [VIDEO]

Minister of Reconciliation and Civil Equality of Georgia says that Russians are taking all steps to assimilate the Gali region in occupied Abkhazia. Photo: Ministry of Reconciliation press office.

Agenda.ge, 01 Nov 2018 - 18:37, Tbilisi,Georgia

Georgian Minister of Reconciliation and Civil Equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili has informed Georgian lawmakers about the grave violations of ethnic Georgian children and citizens in the country’s occupied Abkhazia region.

Tsikhelashvili says that ethnic discrimination, abuse and deprivation of receiving education in one's native language are very common in Gali district, where 98 per cent of schoolchildren and 90 per cent of teachers are ethnic Georgians.

She says that ethnic Georgian children are forced to participate in war-related performances, which aim to display Georgia as an enemy state.

War propaganda at schools of occupied Abkhazia. Video has been provided by the Georgian Ministry of Reconciliation and Civil Equality.

Tsikhelashvili says that in Gali:

  • All efforts are provided to replace everything Georgian by Russian.
  • Suppression of Georgian identity and ethnic discrimination are very common.
  • Ethnic Georgians are deprived of the right to receive education in their native language, when most children and teachers do not know the Russian language.
  • Abuse, threats and punishment are actively used against Georgian children and teachers.
  • War propaganda is in action.
  • Negative influence is being exercised on the Georgian children which make negative effect on their mental development.
  • Quality education is inaccessible.

Receiving education in the Georgian language is absolutely banned in Gali, which means that thousands of children are deprived of receiving education at all,” Tsikhelashvili says.

Tsikhelashvili says that raids carried out by so-called security employees have become frequent in Gali schools after the recent appointment of Naira Amalia as the curator of education issues in Gali.

During the raids children are interviewed in Russian, and as many of them do not know Russian they just stand immobile and silent with their heads inclined. Those who know a little Russian are told by their teachers to say several words in Russian for their parents not to face problems,” Tsikhelashvili says.

Currently 30 schools are functional in Gali with 4,108 children and 754 teachers.

There are 8 kindergartens in the region with 443 children and 71 teachers.