Children’s railways in Ukraine: the season of opening and silence about safety in wartime
In the conditions of the war, which has been going on for the fourth year, any attempt to preserve childhood and familiar traditions seems like an understandable impulse, and this is how the activities of children’s railways in Ukraine are most often presented. In Kyiv, Rivne and other cities, spring was marked by another opening of the seasons on children’s narrow-gauge railways, where children gathered from different regions, even from the front-line regions. However, against the backdrop of positive impressions and a romanticized atmosphere, there remains a question that is hardly discussed publicly: are the security risks for children during war sufficiently taken into account? And is it appropriate to organize such events right now, when shelling and air raids are a daily reality for many families.
Kyiv and Rivne: season opening with children from front-line communities
At the beginning of May, half a hundred children from Pavlograd, Nikopol, and Hilarion communities of Dnipropetrovsk region, as well as Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions, visited the capital to take part in the opening of the new season of the Kyiv Children’s Railway. By in words head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA, Serhiy Lysak, the children had the opportunity to ride a train with steam traction, see the museum of railway transport, try themselves as conductors and even play poker with a hand rail.
As the organizers note, this became possible thanks to the “Side by Side: United Communities” initiative. And although the emphasis on the trip is on getting to know each other, new impressions and sharing experiences between children from different regions, the issue of safety is not discussed publicly. These are children between the ages of 5 and 16, many of whom come from regions regularly subjected to rocket fire.
Meanwhile, in Rivne too started The 76th season of the children’s railway. In May, there are plans to start trains on weekends, and for the summer – to expand the schedule. More than 500 children were involved in training on the railway this year. Among them are nine-year-old Maria, who admitted that she wants to become a conductor, and 16-year-old Danylo, who is studying at a specialized college and already has six years of experience working on a children’s railway.
In the comments of children and parents, one can feel a sincere interest in the railway business. Someone dreams of becoming a driver, someone a gunner or a conductor. A family from Lutsk says that the local children’s railway has been closed for a long time, and now they travel hundreds of kilometers to see how it works in other cities. Maria’s mother from Rivne says that visiting the children’s railway has been a long-standing tradition for her family since 1949.
Positive emotions certainly have value. However, even in the sincere stories of children who dream of working on the railway, one can notice a lack of understanding of the reality in which the country lives today. And if it can be forgiven for children, it is difficult for adult organizers.
Silence about the risks
Neither the public comments of the officials nor the media reports mention whether shelters were provided during the events, how evacuation was organized in case of an air raid, or whether the children at least received a safety briefing. It also remains unclear why children from such dangerous regions as Nikopol region, Kharkiv region or Zaporizhzhia were involved in trips without appropriate risk analysis.
The organizers are also silent about the psycho-emotional aspects – for a child who has just survived shelling or evacuation, such “distraction” activities can have both a positive effect and a stress trigger if they are not accompanied by psychological support.
Children’s railways are an important component of technical education and career guidance. They form children’s interest in complex infrastructural professions, introduce them to technology, and teach them to work in a team. But in the conditions of a full-scale war, the organization of such mass events with the arrival of children from dangerous regions must be accompanied by an understanding of security.
Unfortunately, there is almost no public discussion about the expediency of such measures during wartime. The authorities report on cohesion, the organizers report on children’s impressions, but the question of risks remains out of the picture. And it is this silence that begs the question: isn’t the concern for childhood replaced by an imitation of its preservation in a situation where the first thing should be safety?
