Childhood, which was supposed to be a time of dreams and carefree play, turns into a struggle for survival amidst shelling and ruins. The wars unleashed by adults to achieve their own goals deprive children of their right to a secure future. While politicians and ambitious leaders are dragging the world’s maps, the youngest are being held hostage by other people’s decisions, their lives are being used as bargaining chips in global geopolitical games.
No conflict leaves a trace for future generations. In addition to physical and psychological wounds, children develop an understanding of the world as a place of danger and cruelty. These children are often left without the support that the state is unable or unwilling to provide, as resources are used for military needs rather than protecting the most vulnerable. The bloody traces of adult ambition leave indelible scars on children’s lives that will remind them of war even in times of peace. Lost childhoods, shattered lives and shattered dreams are the reality that turns children into witnesses to the most cruel aspects of humanity.
A global tragedy: the horrifying data
Every day, millions of children around the world face the horrors of armed conflict. According to the charity Save the Children, some 473 million children (19%) live in conflict zones, where they face constant risks – from direct violence to loss of access to basic resources such as food, healthcare and education. This figure is horrifying and staggering! In Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan and dozens of other countries, little lives are being destroyed every day by ongoing wars and armed conflicts.
According to Save the Children, in 2023, 31,721 cases of crimes committed against children were recorded, which is a 15% increase compared to previous years:
- 11,338 children were killed or injured;
- military attacks on schools and hospitals – 2,414 cases.
These children do not see the world through the prism of fairy tales and carefree days, but through the sounds of explosions and sirens, through the ruins of their homes and schools. They are often left without parents, witness or become victims of violence, suffer from constant stress and psychological trauma that can haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Among modern conflicts, the war in Ukraine is particularly high-profile and brutal. Every day, Ukrainian children witness a devastating war on their native land. The war, which began in 2014 and erupted with renewed vigour in 2022, has brought unprecedented suffering. Ukrainian children are losing their homes, parents and safe childhoods.
The rocket attacks that hit the cities and villages of Ukraine do not distinguish between military and civilians, between adults and children. Each explosion makes children feel fear that they should never have experienced. Many of them have lost loved ones. Schools that were once places of learning and joy are now ruins or bomb shelters. Teachers, instead of teaching, are leading children to shelters at the sound of sirens.
According to verified data as of 26 October 2024, 583 children have been killed in Ukraine and more than 1,655 have sustained injuries of varying severity. This horrific figure continues to grow every day.
According to UNICEF, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children have been forced to flee their homes due to the fighting. Many of them, together with their families, are evacuated abroad, where they face new challenges – adaptation to a new life, language barriers, and psychological stress.
According to the regional military administrations, more than 2.8 million civilians, including more than 670,000 children, have been evacuated from dangerous areas across Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war. This reality is not just a statistic, but a blatant injustice for which children are paying every day.
Psychological and physical trauma
Every child who lives through war faces deep psychological trauma. Constant fear, loss of loved ones, a sense of danger – all this has a devastating effect on the psyche. In such conditions, children develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression, which will affect their lives long after the war is over.
Children live in a constant state of anxiety, expecting something terrible to happen at any moment. They lose the sense of security that is fundamental to their normal development. In many cases, this fear turns into chronic stress, which can have long-term mental health consequences. Approximately 40% of children show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Over 75% of Ukrainian children have experienced psychological trauma due to the war. Stress negatively affects their learning and overall development. Today, one in five children in Ukraine has a sleep disorder, and one in ten has memory impairment. Irritability and apathy are observed in 41% of students, and 39% have lost interest in learning.
According to research by the charity Save Ukraine, over 100,000 children were evacuated during the full-scale invasion and about 500 children were returned from Russia and the TOT. According to a report by the Institute of Demography and Quality of Life Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Centre for Social Reforms, 40% of children live in families with an income per person even below the subsistence level, which means that such families are on the verge of subsistence.
Children who have experienced loss of home or displacement often become victims of bullying. They feel like outcasts, despite the fact that they have the same rights and needs as everyone else. The study ‘Bullying and Tolerance in Educational Institutions after 24 February 2022’ found that 51.3% of Ukrainian schoolchildren have been bullied at least once in their lives.
Torn from their familiar world, children find themselves in an alien environment where everything seems foreign – language, people, rules. In the schools where they are supposed 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 were part of their society yesterday feel like outcasts today, not like everyone else.
Because of the war, many schools have been damaged or closed, and the educational process has been disrupted. Many children are forced to study remotely or do not have access to quality education at all due to the lack of a stable Internet connection. This creates a significant gap in knowledge and development opportunities. The lack of regular teaching and support from teachers deprives children of important skills needed for the future. For many, the war has effectively stolen the chance for a decent education, and with it, a better future.
Physical wounds are also an integral part of war. Many children become victims of explosions, mines, and shelling. The number of injuries among children living in conflict zones is growing every year.
Destroyed hospitals, lack of medicines, exhausted doctors – these are the realities faced by Ukrainian families who have found themselves in the war zone or have become displaced. Medical care for children is becoming an unaffordable luxury. When a child gets sick, parents often cannot find the right doctor or appropriate treatment, as the healthcare system is overloaded and there is a catastrophic shortage of medical staff. And even when they do find an opportunity to see a doctor, they are met with the horrific reality of not having the equipment, medicines or time for a full examination.
The historical past of a disfigured childhood
Military conflicts, from antiquity to modern times, have left a deep mark on the lives of millions of children, and this horror continues even in the 21st century. During the Roman military campaigns, thousands of children were enslaved along with their parents, who were captured by enemy armies. Life in slavery meant a complete absence of childhood, ruthless treatment and often the loss of all ties with family.
In the armies of ancient times, children also often accompanied the troops along with the families of soldiers, growing up in camps. Their world was full of violence, unpredictability, and fear of new battles that could destroy their protection and security.
The Middle Ages brought a new form of child labour in warfare. During the Crusades, when religious propaganda inspired large-scale military expeditions, thousands of children joined the so-called Children’s Crusade in 1212. Although the purpose of this action remains unclear, the outcome was tragic – most of these children died of starvation, disease, or were enslaved.
In medieval conflicts, children were not only taken prisoner, but also used as a weapon of propaganda, seen as symbols of the future that must be ‘protected’ or ‘saved’ at all costs. This symbolic status often led to children becoming hostages of the authorities and the war.
The First World War was the first global conflict to affect children on a scale never seen before. Explosions, bombed-out cities, loss of parents and hunger became a reality for millions of children in Europe. However, the true apogee of child suffering came during the Second World War. The Holocaust became one of the darkest chapters of history when the Nazi regime murdered millions of Jewish children in concentration camps. Thousands of minors were sent to ghettos where they died of hunger, disease and cruelty. The surviving children grew up listening to the sounds of bombing and sirens. Their memories of the war remained with them for life, transforming into deep psychological trauma.
The conflict in Vietnam was the first war to be broadcast almost live on television screens around the world. In this context, children became symbols of the horrors of war for the whole world. The images of a little girl, Kim Phuc, running, burned by napalm, went around the world and became a painful reminder of the cost of the conflict for the innocent.
The Vietnam War not only destroyed the childhoods of thousands of children in Vietnam, but also affected the lives of many American children whose parents returned from the war with psychological trauma that affected their families.
And although wars are no longer limited to front lines and traditional battles, children continue to be victims of conflict in the modern world. In Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Iraq, children face death, lose their homes, and become internally displaced every day. In most cases, they do not have access to education, and their future remains under threat.
A separate page in this tragedy belongs to the war in Ukraine, which has once again shown that war is not only a battle for territory, but also a disaster for children.
Military conflicts in different historical eras have had different causes and consequences, but one thing remains the same: children always suffer the most. They are not soldiers, they do not make decisions about war, but they always find themselves on the frontline – as innocent bystanders, victims or even participants. History shows that wars do not leave space for childhood, but destroy dreams and hopes for the future. With each new war, we lose a part of our common humanity, leaving generations with traumas that may never heal.
The status of a ‘child of war’
The status of ‘child of war’ is traditionally associated with all armed conflicts. It dates back to the end of the Second World War and was intended for children who were under the age of 18 in those difficult times. This status was granted to children who grew up under bomb blasts, lost their relatives and homes, often becoming orphans. Their childhoods were marked by hunger, poverty, fear, and rapid adulthood – when they had to take on adult responsibilities in order to survive.
Tragically, even decades later, this status has not lost its relevance, although it now applies to new generations – children who have witnessed the current war in eastern Ukraine and the full-scale invasion of 2022. These children, like those in the past, are experiencing the loss of loved ones, separation from their homes, and evacuation to other countries or remote regions of Ukraine. They are forced to learn to live in conditions of uncertainty, explosions, loss of light and heat, often experiencing fear and anxiety for their relatives who remained on the frontline or in the occupied territories.
The definition of the statute is contained in the Law of Ukraine ‘On Social Protection of Children of War’. It should be noted that until 3 June 2023, only residents of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts could obtain the status of a ‘child of war’, except for Ukrainians who were children during the Second World War. Now this status, which provides for certain social benefits, can be granted in other regions of Ukraine, but under certain conditions. It is available to Ukrainians who were under the age of majority at the time of the war with Russia.
Only children who have been injured, traumatised or
- were wounded, injured or crippled as a result of the war;
- have been subjected to physical or sexual violence;
- have been abducted or illegally removed from Ukraine;
- Forced to join paramilitary or armed groups;
- were illegally detained, including in captivity;
- subjected to psychological violence.
Today’s children of war are not only victims of circumstances, but also little heroes who continue to learn, dream and develop despite all the difficulties. They are not just witnesses to history, but active participants in it, growing up with a sense of responsibility for the future of their country.
Helping children affected by armed conflict requires the efforts of the international community. Organisations such as UNICEF, the Red Cross and others provide psychological support, medical care and humanitarian aid. But this help only relieves the consequences. The main task is to stop wars that destroy children’s lives. Every child deserves to live in a world where peace reigns, where they can grow, learn and dream, not survive amidst ruins and fear.
Children should not be part of war, but they are the ones who suffer the deepest wounds. War robs them of their childhood, dreams and security, condemning them to a life of fear and ruin. These innocent victims bear the consequences of conflicts unleashed by adults, losing what they should have had from birth – the right to live in peace and happiness. Every day that the world watches in silence as they suffer is a day that we lose the chance to protect future generations. And this is a crime for which humanity will not be able to find an excuse.
