The Turkish branch of the international nongovernmental organization (NGO) Doctors of the World is helping children who fled conflict-ridden Ukraine overcome the trauma. “Psychiatric-Social Support” programs offered by the organization serve about 50 children every week in Istanbul and the western city of Izmir.
Children are the most vulnerable group among those affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict that erupted in February, and some suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Doctors of the World cooperates with an association set up by Ukrainian expats living in Izmir for its program for children between the ages of 8 and 12. The program involves painting workshops and games to help alleviate the children's trauma.
Turkey has taken in a large number of Ukrainian citizens fleeing the conflict in their country in the past months, along with 988 children from that country's orphanages who are now cared for by Turkish social services.
The scale and speed of the emergency in Ukraine have not been seen since World War II, the United Nations said on June 1, sharing that the devastation was killing over two children a day. "Based on reports verified by Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights, on average more than two children are killed and more than four injured each day in Ukraine – mostly in attacks using explosive weapons in populated areas," according to UNICEF. Some 3 million children inside Ukraine and over 2.2 million children in refugee-hosting countries are now in need of humanitarian assistance since Russia launched its war on its neighboring country on Feb. 24, said the U.N. Almost two out of every three children in Ukraine have been displaced due to the war in the country. The civilian infrastructure that the children depend on, including at least 256 health facilities and one in six UNICEF-supported "safe schools" in the east, is continually damaged or destroyed. Hundreds of other schools across the country have also been damaged. Conditions for children in eastern and southern Ukraine where the fighting has intensified are increasingly desperate, the children's agency noted.
The war has caused an acute child protection crisis, said UNICEF. "Children fleeing violence are at significant risk of family separation, violence, abuse, sexual exploitation, and trafficking," said the U.N. agency. "Most have been exposed to deeply traumatic events. Children fleeing the war urgently need safety, stability, child protection services, and psychosocial support, especially those unaccompanied or separated from their families. "More than anything, they need peace," said UNICEF.
