Out of 19,500 children forcibly deported to the territory of the Russian Federation, Belarus or held in temporarily occupied areas, less than 700 were returned to the territory controlled by Ukraine. Part of the children returned to the Motherland thanks to the efforts of Ukraine’s international partners. Negotiations regarding the repatriation of minors are ongoing.
Among those who have already been returned, most of the children suffered deep psychological trauma due to the hostilities and the behavior of those who kept them in Russia, Mykola Kuleba, director general of the charity organization Save Ukraine, said. Thanks to the efforts of the organization, it was possible to return home 373 minor Ukrainians.
These children need gradual adaptation, a special approach, long-term work with psychologists or psychotherapists. However, there is a catastrophic lack of such specialists in Ukraine today.
“The critical shortage of such specialists is already quite noticeable. It takes months to find a psychologist or a speech therapist in the big front-line cities, despite the fact that the funds offer competitive remuneration. Some specialists have gone abroad, some to the capital or safer areas. There remains a minority who work in difficult conditions, burn out, and eventually get fired”, – says the head of the “Voices of Children” charitable foundation Olena Rozvadovska.
According to the head of the organization, the state should begin intensive training of a large number of child psychologists today, since in five years
“The main wave of post-traumatic stress disorders will begin after the end of active hostilities. In order for there to be someone to work with children with war trauma five years from now, new specialists must be trained today. It is necessary to announce additional recruitments at universities that already have relevant faculties. open new training programs in partnership with the state and increase the critical mass of specialists. All post-war psychosocial rehabilitation will depend on the availability of specialists. Not so much walls and money (which is also important), but to a greater extent on the availability of professionals who can work with children and adults “, – says Olena Rozvadovska.
The head of the “Voices of Children” charitable foundation says that the psychological rehabilitation of children who were successfully returned after deportation should not only consist of a few visits to a psychologist. It should be a whole system of rehabilitation measures.
A whole support infrastructure should be created, which includes: psychological services; assistance of a case manager in the preparation of documents and benefits; educational institutions that understand and support children with injuries; specialized specialists, such as sensory therapists and child psychiatrists; as well as various clubs and sports sections.
Attention must also be directed to the child’s entire family, because trauma affects everyone, and often it is the caregivers who bear the greatest responsibility for the success of rehabilitation.
Services and services for children who survived deportation should be created with their participation, Olena Rozvadovska believes. This will help children feel that they can influence their lives, increasing their confidence in their own abilities and not cementing them in the role of victims.
