When the war started, millions of Ukrainian children woke up in a different reality. Schools have replaced shelters, and their homes have been destroyed houses. They have nowhere to hide from fear and the unknown, even in their own thoughts. They would like to play in the yard, laugh in classes and dream about the future. Instead, they hide in dank basements, hear explosions instead of lullabies, and stare into the dark sky, asking adults when it will end. The war in Ukraine not only destroyed cities and villages, it left deep scars on children’s hearts.
Terrible statistics of ruined childhood
For data portal “Children of War”, the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine ended the lives of 595 children, and 1,716 were injured of various degrees of severity. 1,936 children are considered missing. 19,546 children were forcibly relocated by the Russian Federation to its territory, where their names are changed, erasing their memories, uprooting their origins.
In addition, for data UNICEF, in Ukraine, more than three million children face a daily lack of access to clean water and basic sanitation. This situation reaches a critical level, especially in the frontline areas, where due to constant shelling and destroyed infrastructure, provision of even basic needs becomes practically impossible. However, the water problem is only the tip of the iceberg. The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine covers all aspects of children’s lives. During the war, many of them spent up to six months in bomb shelters, listening to sirens and fearing for their lives. Such constant stress has a devastating effect on children’s psyche: according to UNICEF estimates, one and a half million children already face anxiety, depression and chronic insomnia.
War destroys not only houses, but also children’s dreams. In Mariupol, children spent days in cold basements without food or water. In other cities of Ukraine, such as Kharkiv Oblast or Kherson Oblast, they still live under constant shelling. For many, explosions have become so familiar that they are no longer afraid, but only mechanically seek shelter. Nowadays, safety for children has become a priority, but the provision of shelters is still a real challenge for the country.
As of 2024, there are 60,500 shelters in the fund of protective structures of the civil defense of Ukraine. But is it convenient for children to stay there? As a rule, the simplest shelter is a basement, where a large number of people gather in case of danger. Each shelter must be inclusive, safe, comfortable and located in a walkable area. It should be so on paper, but in reality, no facilities are provided in such places. And the constant sirens make whole families run there.
Separately, it is necessary to point out shelters, which should be at every educational institution of Ukraine in the current realities. By data ZN.UA has 10,111 shelters in Ukrainian schools. But currently, the Ministry of Education and Culture does not monitor the situation in schools where there are no shelters at all, and therefore cannot give a clear assessment of the extent to which educational institutions are equipped with shelters in general. There are many questions about the condition of the shelters, because there are known cases of walls collapsing and flooding, as in some schools in Kyiv region and Chernihiv region. And the very conditions of staying in these shelters, let’s say, are not conducive to learning. Shelters are designed only for children to fit in, and then everyone just kills time sitting there and doing extraneous things.
It should not be forgotten that both before the war and during the war, the situation of children with special educational needs remains particularly difficult. By data According to state statistics, before the war there were 162.9 thousand children with disabilities in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the number of children with disabilities slightly decreased by 0.43% in 2022 and amounted to 162.2 thousand. However, in 2023, there were 163.9 thousand children with disabilities in Ukraine. In 2024, there is a tendency to increase the number of persons with disabilities by 27,000.
War spares no one and inflicts heavy losses every day. Thus, in the first days of the full-scale invasion, 1,420 children were mutilated. In 2023, 989 children suffered injuries and mutilations. As of June 2024, this number was 1,146 children, and unfortunately, it is growing so rapidly every day that it is impossible to track it. All these children have suffered severe mutilation, both physical and mental, and now they have to learn to live in a new way, constantly choosing every movement.
Children, in whom every day of life is a constant intense struggle with their diseases and pain, have to live in a world of constant stress and fear caused by war. This category of population needs special care and protection from the state. But the most important thing is that these children also have the right to study and build their own future. But as a result of military operations, 31 boarding houses and 43 special centers were destroyed in 2023 alone. It is clear that shelters in educational institutions should be accessible to people with reduced mobility.
For data research of the Charitable Foundation “Right to Protection”, it was established that almost all shelters have problems with free access to them for children with limited mobility. Insufficient space for children in wheelchairs, lack of ramps, completely unsuitable toilets – all this makes it impossible for children with special needs to stay in such shelters.
Thanks to research The Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration found that two of the four boarding-type children’s homes in the region had no shelters at all, and employees and children, escaping from danger, had to use the rule of two walls.
Broken destinies
Merciless war takes lives, leaving many children orphans who are forced to live in places far from comfortable conditions.
In Ukraine accrued 751 residential institutions where more than 105 thousand children stay:
- in the system of the Ministry of Health, there are 39 institutions where 2,773 children live and are educated;
- in the system of the Ministry of Social Affairs, there are 132 institutions – 5,087 children;
- in the MES system, there are 580 institutions – 97,923 children.
At the same time, 92% of children have families and only 8% are orphans.
For in words Minister of Social Policy Oksana Zholnovich, 20,000 children in Ukraine live in boarding schools with their parents. The reasons are quite trivial – poverty, inability to get an education at home due to disability or special educational needs. 5,500 children have their parents deprived of their parental rights. That is why such children are forced to live in boarding schools. 17.3% of children living in boarding schools have disabilities.
Research shows that children who are brought up in residential care are much more likely to suffer from emotional and mental disorders, have lower chances of successful integration into society and are more likely to face problems such as unemployment, homelessness, addictions and conflicts with the law. Pupils have no privacy in their lives. About 17% of children live in rooms for 9 people. They decide when to wake up, what to eat and what to wear, when to go to bed and what to do during the day, even on weekends and holidays. Institutional institutions are isolated communities, the borders of which pupils have no right to leave. What appears in the imagination is not a cozy shelter for children, but a kind of institution of deprivation of liberty, where the child becomes a victim of cruelty and has no rights.
Education during the war
The war deprived hundreds of thousands of children of their right to education. By data Kyiv School of Economics, as of 2024, the total number of damaged or destroyed educational institutions in Ukraine is more than 3,127 objects, including 1,489 schools, 885 kindergartens, and 517 buildings of higher education institutions. Resuming studies takes place online, but even this is not always possible due to the lack of stable Internet or electricity. And indeed, distance education has gone through a thorny path through mass isolation, lack of established communication between students and teachers, power outages, unstable internet connection, disruption of the functioning of educational platforms. So why are we surprised by the low performance of our students according to the results of the PISA 2022 and external examinations and constantly try to blame the teachers? Ukrainian schoolchildren suffer from excessive overload and unstable learning conditions. Add to that constant stress. It is clear that in such conditions it is difficult to achieve proper results in education. Lack of regular training and support from teachers deprives children of important skills needed for the future. For many, the war actually stole the chance for a decent education, and with it, a better perspective.
Forced migrants
The war forced thousands of families to leave their homes and seek salvation abroad. Parents who once could calmly plan their children’s futures suddenly found themselves in foreign countries, trying to find a new home and give their children at least a modicum of security.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as of October 2024, there are Ukrainian schoolchildren abroad:
- in Ireland – 97%;
- in Romania – 83%;
- in France – 69%;
- in Germany and Austria – 63% each;
- in Moldova – 8%;
- in Croatia – 16%
- In Great Britain – 17%.
However, along with salvation came new challenges. Life in a foreign country brings its own difficulties, and adaptation to new traditions and conditions has become a real test for both adults and children. Children, torn from their usual world, found themselves in a foreign environment, where everything seems foreign – language, people, rules. In the schools where they have to study, they often feel alienated. They cannot find a common language with their peers who do not understand them or, worse, do not accept them. Often their origin and accent become a reason for ridicule and bullying. Children, who yesterday were part of their society, today feel like outcasts, not like everyone else.
Thanks to research “Bullying and tolerance in educational institutions after February 24, 2022” found that 51.3% of Ukrainian schoolchildren admitted that they had been bullied at least once in their lives.
Injuries that will last forever
Children are the most vulnerable category during war. According to WHO estimates, every second child who has survived armed conflict has symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Stress is probably the phenomenon that will haunt our children for the rest of their lives. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) isn’t just bad memories. These are nightmares, isolation, aggression, panic attacks due to the sound of fireworks or the doorbell. It is the fear of a life that has broken too soon. During the last three years of the war, the children spent a lot of time hiding in bomb shelters, constantly hearing sirens. This rhythm of life destroys the psyche. UNICEF estimates that one and a half million children already suffer from anxiety, depression and insomnia.
For data research Future Index 44% of children in Ukraine have signs of potential PTSD. Every 4 out of 10 children are in a state of constant anxiety. More than 75% of Ukrainian children experienced psychological trauma due to the war. Stress negatively affects their learning and overall development. Currently, every fifth child in Ukraine has a sleep disorder, and every tenth child has memory impairment. 41% of students are irritable and apathetic, and 39% have stopped showing interest in learning altogether.
Psychologists say that children often cannot express their pain in words. Their trauma manifests itself through behavior: they stop trusting, are afraid to be alone, sometimes don’t even want to play. Childhood becomes a prison of fears. But this is not a story without hope. Treating PTSD takes time, patience, and help. Art therapy, play therapy, hugs and talking are steps that children can use to gradually rise from the depths of trauma.
But the medical system of Ukraine is now on the verge of survival. Many doctors died saving the lives of others, and others went abroad. Therefore, there is currently a significant shortage of medical personnel in medical institutions, including psychologists, whose help is so badly needed by young patients.
Today, Ukrainian children are faced with difficult trials every day. There is not a single child left who was not mentally or physically crippled by the war. But life goes on. Statistics claim that as of 2024, 161,900 children will be born. little Ukrainians. Despite all the difficulties that befell Ukrainians, these babies will build the country’s future.
The time will come when the war will end, but its consequences will remain with the children for life. Their memories are of sirens, cold shelters and lost loved ones. They are already experiencing what many adults cannot endure, and are often left alone with their pain. If the world does not pay attention to these children now, we risk losing more than we can imagine. Because not only their future depends on them, but also the future of all of us.
