It is hard to imagine the psychological stress and insecurity that children in war experience. In 2024 we intensified our work in war-torn Ukraine – a work that is more critical than ever.
Although the war is having a considerable toll on the people in Ukraine, an impressive number of reforms, innovation and new forms of support is happening. With the words of Antonina from our partner in Zaporizhzhia: “We are under constant shelling, but we work anyway. Our office is our fortress, and we will work until the victory. We cannot forget about children during this time.”
Childhood’s strategy in Ukraine is to both respond to urgent humanitarian needs while also seeking solutions that will contribute to a stronger country, safer for children, in the future. We have partners in all parts of the country, reaching children at risk of being separated from their families, families fleeing from the war, children who have experienced sexual abuse and other forms of violence, children from risk groups such as ethnic minorities, children with disabilities and adolescents identifying as LGBTQ. We also focus on preventing and responding to child sexual abuse online.
“Our partners in Ukraine are incredibly strong, persistent and resourceful. I’m constantly struck by their courage and unwavering commitment. Despite extreme circumstances, they keep expanding their efforts to reach more children and families. Together, we address urgent needs while developing new approaches in trauma treatment, family support, online abuse, and child protection reforms. In times of uncertainty, our work is more vital than ever.”
Joel Borgström, Senior Program Manager at Childhood
Building capacity
Several of our initiatives are aimed to support, build capacity and cooperate with Ukrainian agencies responsible for the protection of children from sexual abuse and other forms of violence. At a time when the police, the legal system and the Ukrainian social service is under unbelievable pressure, these efforts are fundamental to ensure that children are not harmed.In 2024 our partner Magnolia investigated 256 cases of suspected crimes against children reported to their online portal, developed with our support. The four Barnahus centres we helped established previous year have provided 240 children with professional support – a key factor in terms of healing but also to improve the quality of investigations and getting perpetrators convicted. Several of our partners also provided trainings for both civil society and government agencies to make sure that child sexual abuse is not ignored and neglected.
Reforming alternative care system
We´ve also supported on-going efforts to close the existing institutions and place children with relatives, neighbors or in foster care instead. Of particular importance is to close institutions that receive children from birth up to six years old. These are fundamental ages for child development and compulsory care during these early years can cause lifelong injuries in areas such as attachment, mental health and physical development.
In 2024 we prevented 156 children under six years old from being placed in institutional care in the Dnipro region near the front line.
Photo: Dmytro Golovchenko
