Sad results after six months of war in Ukraine: over 940 children killed or injured - Save the Children

The UN stated that the total number of victims is likely to be much higher than currently confirmed figures and that the exact ages of the children are not known. Most of the confirmed child casualties are related to the use of explosives in populated, urban areas. In the first month of the war, more than 600 buildings, including kindergartens, schools and health facilities, were damaged by relentless shelling and bombing in the once-busy city of Kharkiv, according to the city administration.

Dana, 29, and her daughter Antonina, 2, fled Kharkiv in March as the city's bombing peaked. Before they managed to flee the city, they took refuge in a basement when the sound of air raids was heard overhead. "She heard the explosions and she was scared; she couldn't sleep. When the same thing happened here, she was scared and said, 'Something banged, Mom. What was that,'" says Dana. "Since my daughter is only two and a half years old, I can't just explain to her that there's a war going on and children are dying. She's still too young."

Instead, she explains to her daughter that the loud noises are thunder. But this tactic doesn't work for her older nieces and nephews who know more about what's going on. "They ask a lot of questions. One of my nephews is nine and he said, 'Am I going to die too?' "His parents struggle to find the right words to answer him," says Dana. "My niece of five was like, 'When I grow up, will I still run down the hall if a siren sounds? ' So you understand that this is not normal."

Children are the ones who suffer

In parts of the country, children are growing up on the frontlines of a brutal war as urban areas are used as battlefields, resulting in deaths and life-changing injuries. The infrastructure that should ensure access to life-saving food and water is being destroyed.

According to estimates by the UN refugee agency UNHCR, around 6.7 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the war – almost half of them are children. It is also believed that around three million children have been displaced from their homes within Ukraine.

Save the Children Ukraine Country Director Sonia Khush said: "Although the causes of the war have nothing to do with the children of Ukraine, they are the ones most affected by it. They grow up with the sound of bombs and shells and see their homes destroyed, their schools damaged, and their friends and family members killed or injured."

reason for hope

Though cities across the country are on the front lines of a devastating war, Save the Children teams are observing acts of kindness and resilience across the country. In Bucha, for example - which was badly damaged by shelling and bombing earlier this year - the community has joined forces to rebuild a destroyed playground for children.

"Children need more than humanitarian aid, they need hope: hope that this war will end, hope that they can return home, and hope for a bright future. Without meaningful support and an immediate cessation of hostilities, Ukraine will not not only a graveyard for more children, but also for the hopes and dreams of the children," says Sonia Khush.

Dana and Antonina now live in Dnipro, where Save the Children supports them with essential household items and food through a local partner, Pomagaem. Dana hopes to return to Kharkiv next month when it's safe. Her friends and family are scattered across the country, living where they could find refuge when the war escalated six months ago. "We take day by day. We didn't come here [to Dnipro] to stay forever," says Dana. "We'll definitely go home."

Save the Children has been operating in Ukraine since 2014, providing humanitarian aid to children and their families. We are currently supporting refugee families across Europe and helping children access the services they need. With the help of local partners, we provide shelter, food, cash, fuel, psychological support, and baby and hygiene kits to displaced families. We are on the ground distributing essential household packages to families affected by the war.

Over 940 children have been killed or injured in the past six months: At least 356 children have been killed - 16% were under the age of 5. Around 13% of the at least 586 injured children are under the age of 5.


Contact:
Catherine Raemy
Head of Communications
+41 (0)44 267 74 68
catherine.raemy@savethechildren.ch

Note: This article was translated from German to English by an online translator.

--- END press release Sad results after six months of war in Ukraine: over 940 children killed or injured - Save the Children ---

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  Save the Children - Traurige Bilanz nach sechs Monaten Krieg in der Ukraine: über 940 Kinder getötet oder verletzt (news article in german on swiss-press.com)