Over 200,000 children in E. Ukraine need urgent support to overcome trauma of conflict: UNICEF
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E-mail Xinhua, April 7, 2017
More than 200,000 children, or one in four, in the two regions most severely affected by ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine require urgent and sustained psychosocial support to address the trauma of living through more than three years of violence, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
Those 200,000 children live in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, within 15 km of each side of the "contact-line" that divides government and non-government-controlled areas and where fighting is most intense, the UNICEF said in a press release.
"The world has forgotten about this invisible crisis in eastern Ukraine, but hundreds of thousands of children are paying a heavy price, one that could last a lifetime without adequate support," said UNICEF Ukraine Representative Giovanna Barberis. "We urgently need funds to reach these traumatized children."
Children nearest the "contact-line" have been living in chronic fear and uncertainty due to sporadic shelling, unpredictable fighting and dangers from landmines and other unexploded ordinance. Many risk their safety to get an education.
Seven schools were damaged during the most recent escalation of violence in February and March 2017, and more than 740 schools -- one in five in eastern Ukraine -- have been damaged or destroyed since the conflict began in 2014.
Parents, teachers, school directors and psychologists continue to report striking behaviour changes in children as young as three years old. Symptoms include severe anxiety, bed-wetting, nightmares, aggressive behaviour and withdrawing from families and communities.
Dedicated social workers, psychologists and specially trained teachers are working around the clock. However, as the conflict drags on, additional investments are required to meet these children's needs.
UNICEF is appealing for 31.2 million U.S. dollars to support children and families affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine. This includes 5.5 million U.S. dollars for child protection services and psychosocial support.
So far, UNICEF has received less than a third of its funding requirements and child protection is critically underfunded.
"Children should not have to live with the emotional scars from a conflict they had no part in creating. Additional support is needed now so that young people in Donetsk and Luhansk can grow into healthy adults and rebuild their communities," said Barberis.
"Children and their families urgently need peace. We call on all sides of the conflict to recommit to the ceasefire signed in Minsk to end this senseless violence."
Last year, UNICEF reached approximately 200,000 children with psychosocial support through community protection centres, mobile teams, teachers and school-based psychologists. Endit
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