UNICEF

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Friday said more than 200,000 children living in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk need urgent support to treat the psychological trauma of living through over three years of conflict.

The Fund’s Representative in Ukraine, Giovanna Barberis, said in a statement that “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.

“We urgently need funds to reach these traumatised children.”

She warned that the girls and boys who live within 15km of the “contact line,” the front line dividing government and rebel held areas, live in chronic fear caused by intermittent shelling, unpredictable fighting and danger posed by landmines and unexploded ordinance.

She said many had risked their lives by attending school, with figures showing that more than 740 schools were damaged or destroyed since the conflict begun in 2014.

She appealed for over 31 million dollars to support both children and their families affected by the conflict.

She noted that some 5.5 million dollars was required for child protection services and psychological support.

Barberis said “children should not 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.”

Meanwhile, reports from parents, school personnel and psychologists suggest that children as young as three are displaying signs of trauma.

This includes severe anxiety, bed-wetting, nightmares, aggressive behaviour, as well as social withdrawal from families and communities.

(Xinhua/NAN)