 | THE WEEK IN RIGHTS February 11, 2016 |
 Photo © 2015 Dmitri Beliakov/Vuhlehirsk Hostilities in eastern Ukraine have damaged or destroyed hundreds of schools, many of which were used by both Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed militants for military purposes. The principal of School Number 14 in Ilovaisk told Human Rights Watch that when Ukrainian government forces occupied the school for two weeks in August 2014, they damaged school furniture, broke all the doors, and smashed 11 computers. In October 2014, researchers found several unexploded landmines on the school grounds. Even in places where Ukrainian children have not been forced out of school entirely, the armed conflict has eroded the quality of their education. Many children have faced obstacles simply reaching schools due to ongoing hostilities.
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