UKRAINIAN children are living in constant fear and hopelessness, and at risk of suffering long-term mental disorders if they do not receive immediate support, a report from the charity World Vision says.
Based on its work in other conflicts, such as Syria and South Sudan, World Vision estimates that 1.5 million children are in danger of experiencing long-term depression and anxiety as the war in Ukraine continues.
Parents of children who have fled the conflict said that their biggest worry was now their children’s mental health. Nearly two-thirds of Ukraine’s children have been forced from their homes by the war.
The report, No Peace of Mind, recounts stories of children who were crying through the night, unable to sleep, owing to fear and stress, and others who have become numb to the sounds and brutality of war.
One mother, Iryna, who fled with her children, said: “You know, at first, children were scared. They had trauma. But then I noticed that the children, they were not even reacting when there was bombing. And it was also a shock to me. I couldn’t understand how kids do not react. They could exactly say what weapon it was. And that’s the scariest thing: that the kids are getting used to it.”
Children experiencing distress are at risk of permanent changes to the brain, with lifelong ramifications, the report says. Exposure to air strikes, combined with violence, destroys a child’s sense of security, which is necessary for children’s development.
The Ukraine country director for World Vision’s Ukraine crisis response, Catherine Green, said: “World Vision is concerned that the war is subjecting children to constant fear and hopelessness, increasing their immediate stress responses, and, as a consequence, their risk for a range of mental disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety.
“That’s why we are boosting our psychosocial programming in the coming months, but we can’t do this alone. We know from experience in places like Syria and South Sudan that proper investment in mental health and other services is vital if children are to overcome the trauma they have suffered.”
Before the war, Ukraine already carried a high burden of mental illness. More than 91,000 children were housed in institutions, including orphanages; half had disabilities. These children are particularly vulnerable during conflict, the report says.
Prioritising children’s mental health will save millions in future health-care bills, the charity says. It also predicts that three million adults will be traumatised and at risk of mental disorders as a result of the war.
The charity urges international donors to increase money for mental health-care, and asks countries that have taken in Ukrainian refugees to offer mental-health support and enrol children as quickly as possible in schools, to reinstate some routine in children’s lives.
Ukraine has also been added by the UN Office for Children and Armed Conflict to its countries of concern, because of the impact of the conflict on children. The UN reports 65 serious violations against children a day, including killing and maiming, followed by the recruitment and use of children and denial of humanitarian aid.
The countries where the highest number of children were affected by grave violations last year include Afghanistan, DRC, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.
The UN reported that there had been a sharp increase in child abduction and sexual violence against children, and attacks on schools and hospitals.