photo: thestar
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By Khrystyna Shabat
After the liberation of the Kyiv region from Russian invaders, a photo archive was assembled to show the anti-human acts in Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel, where hundreds, thousands were killed, torn apart, raped, and linked civilians of Ukraine. Russian occupiers killed them with special atrocities. Khrystyna Shabat, head of the Center for the Dignity of the Child, explains how Russians came to this state of misanthropy.
Did you know that children who are beaten are more likely to become bullies? Have you heard Russian soldiers talk to their mothers and wives, boasting about their thefts and taking «orders» of what else to bring?
Bullying always involves a third party. The victim, the bully and the observer. It never happens between two people, because its goal is to show one’s coolness and attract attention. So, have no doubt: they are killing us to compete among themselves with the number of people they killed. They rape women to discuss their feat with each other and show how many times each of them, with his dirty body, had mutilated the same girl. They enjoy discussing resistance and shouting. They kill parents in front of the eyes of their children for their heroic stories in hiding.
They do not hurt and will not hurt, because that’s how bullying works.
When atrocities are tolerated, the bully receives the necessary reinforcements. His behaviour is approved and he continues to kill more, mock more cruelly, humiliate more cynically, rape more brazenly. There is agreement and positive support from the leadership. Army leaders, heads of families and leaders of the country. State fu**ing buller.
Mom does not say into the phone: son, you are a hyena, where is your honor? The commander does not shoot for the first stolen earring, and for 10 washing machines in KAMAZ, does not shoot even for rape in front of children’s eyes and even for rape of children. The orcs are happy with each other in this ostentatious crazy competition, who is bigger and cooler, who is more creative in humiliating, crushing and trampling our souls and bodies.
Bullers can be stopped only by reputable adults. The basic rule is this. When bullying occurs, we never pay public attention to the behaviour of the bully, we always pay attention to the victim first, we apologize to her. We talk to buller alone. We teach observers that if they see and are silent, they are also participants in bullying.
We cannot hope for the honour and adult position of authoritative adults for orcs, because they themselves are bullies, they themselves flauntly destroy our dignity and us. We cannot talk about conscience. Therefore, the only way is isolation. Eternal. Sanctions and physical isolation, no compassion. No accusations toward Putin alone. All Russians must be held accountable. Everyone who killed and who watched.
And while our heroes are doing their job against that brazen «ice cream for three kopeiki» [russians], I’m thinking again about how not to raise a Muscovite. You may not like to read this in the context of war, but we educate free people, so:
1. We do not teach children to beat back. Adults are responsible for resolving conflicts or the bullying. The child’s task is to tell an adult about it. The task of an adult is to make sure that justice is done and the behaviour is not supported. Because the children, who were constantly broadcast «deal with it yourself», did exactly this way, and the stronger one always won. And then, they were convinced that they had the strongest army, and they went to «deal with it all themselves»;
2. We teach the child to defend himself. If there is no adult who can protect – you have to do it yourself;
3. We learn to protect others, to have zero tolerance for violence. No one deserves to be hurt;
4. Everyone fits our lives. There are no better or worse, those that can exist and those that do not, because if the puzzles were made up of the same particles, it wouldn’t be interesting to put them together;
5. And this one, you will definitely like. We do not forget. We teach children to remember. Russia has always been an aggressor, it has always attacked Ukrainians. For the next 50 years, they must not be released from this guilt. In no country in the world. Therefore, we do not play with little Ivans in the sandbox, we are not friends with them, but we are not bullying them, because we are not them. Until they apologize just for their existence. While our authoritative adults are organizing a real «Wrath of God» to avenge anyone who died helplessly with their hands tied during orphanage battles.
Bullers are most afraid of losing their authority, and we will destroy it.
By Khrystyna Shabat, translated by Vitalii Holich
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