Today is the International Children's day: how many Ukrainian boys and girls have russia deprived of a normal childhood

Today is the International Children's day: how many Ukrainian boys and girls have russia deprived of a normal childhood

Kyiv  •  UNN

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Full-scale russian aggression has deprived tens of thousands of Ukrainian children of normal lives. Many of them were forced to flee the war abroad, some ended up in the occupied territories. Unfortunately, Ukrainian children now know what enemy attacks are, how to hide from them for hours in bomb shelters.

Today, on the first of June, various events on the occasion of the International Children's day are being held in Ukraine and many other countries of the world. The event was founded in 1949 on the initiative of the International Democratic Federation of women, writes UNN.

For a long time, children were not considered full-fledged members of society almost all over the world, and therefore often suffered from the cruelty and arbitrariness of adults.

The real struggle for children's rights began only at the end of the XIX century. In particular, in 1875, the society against child abuse was established in New York.

On November 20, 1959, the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the rights of the child. Exactly 30 years later, the UN General Assembly approved the Convention on the rights of the child, which became the first and main binding international legal document in the world dedicated to a wide range of children's rights.

Today's holiday is primarily about the fact that everyone has the right to a happy childhood, which in many ways is the key to a successful adult life.

Unfortunately, the full-scale Russian aggression has deprived tens of thousands of Ukrainian boys and girls of normal lives. Many of them were forced to flee the war abroad, some ended up in the occupied territories.

Ukrainian children now know what enemy attacks are, how to hide from them for hours in bomb shelters.

But the worst thing is that since the beginning of the full-scale Russian aggression, 550 Ukrainian children have been killed and more than 1,300 have received various injuries. More than 14.5 thousand Ukrainian children were deported by Russia, about 530 boys and girls are considered missing.

Now it is very important to provide psychological assistance to children who have seen the horrors of war firsthand. 

Psychologists work with children who have received traumatic experiences due to the events of the war, they undergo therapy courses for recovery. At the same time, it is important  to properly document all the testimonies of children who witnessed the war, so that their stories become part of the evidence base for international trials.

One of the tools is to conduct a forensic psychological examination of children - the direction carried out by experts of the Kiev Research Institute of forensic examinations, headed by Alexander Ruvin, is especially relevant during the war.

Forensic psychological examination conducted by KNIISE experts, in accordance with all Ukrainian and European standards, is important for documenting children's testimonies, giving them legal significance, and ultimately ensuring the rights of the child and his psychological well-being after experiencing war crimes.

The relevant examination includes an assessment of the child's psychological state, identification of possible psychological traumas and their impact on the child's behavior and development, in order to ensure justice for victims of war crimes.