Ukraine War—no end to madness: Trauma of children and pets

Chetan Sharma (Compiled from Reports and Inputs with much gratitude from UNICEF, UNHCR, News18, The Conversations, India Today Group’s Photo Diary compiled painstakingly by Ms. Priya Pareek and Mr. Nishwan Rasool of March 29th, 2022; and numerous others covering this humanitarian crisis)

The Ukraine war has been ravaging the past several months now. It seems like an ever-ending process. The world also it seems has given up too. Other than occasional bold statements of a handful of politicians given in fancy summits; none have been able to contain Russia. Russia under Putin has unleashed an unprecedented `pogrom’ to say the very least in name of `denazification’.?Other than Putin and his handful of people, none have been able to explain what is all this `denazification’ about; and why the second biggest European country is being targeted so mercilessly simply in furtherance of their expansionist plans and control of natural resources.

No part of the country has been left untouched. Ports, railway stations, shopping malls, and residential blocks have been pounded mercilessly. Thousands of people have died. Children have been the biggest casualty of this madness.

Trauma and exploitation risk of children:

Highlighting the devastating and lasting consequences of the war on the millions of the country’s youngsters, UNICEF, maintained that?most of the victims were from “attacks using explosive weapons in populated areas”, a claim supported by the UN human rights office,?UNHCR.

The scale and speed of the emergency in Ukraine have not been seen since World War Two, the UN agency said in a statement, which estimated that?5.2 million children there need humanitarian assistance; three million inside the country and more than 2.2 million in refugee-hosting countries. (Source: UNICEF)

As intense artillery exchanges continue between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donetsk region and amid reports that Russian troops now control much of the city of Sievierodonetsk, UNICEF said that almost two in three children in Ukraine have been displaced by fighting.

“Civilian infrastructure on which children depend continues to be damaged or destroyed,” UNICEF explained. “This so far includes?at least 256 health facilities and one in six UNICEF-supported ‘Safe Schools’ in the country’s east. Hundreds of other schools across the country have also been damaged. Conditions for children in eastern and southern Ukraine where fighting has intensified are increasingly desperate.”

We are still awaiting reports on how the learning gaps and teaching-learning process is expected to normalize in event of a long-drawn-out war, which seems imminent now.

The long-lasting mental health toll of the war on youngsters has also contributed to an acute child protection crisis, made worse by the fact that many displaced families are out of work and unable to meet their children’s basic needs.

The children urgently need safety, stability, child protection services, and psychosocial support – especially those who are unaccompanied or have been separated from their families. More than anything, they need peace,” UNICEF insisted, in a renewed call for a ceasefire after 99 days of fighting—another call that went unattended.

The trauma of pets and animals:

Undoubtedly man's best friends are dogs and many loved pets raised as their children.

Heart-rending pictures of pets escaping the fury of the war have emerged. The consequences of the war on stray animals have been serious. Forced to leave their homes, loved ones, and belongings behind, one thing which Ukrainians refuse to leave amid the ongoing crisis is their pets. Not just humans, the war has also made life very difficult for animals.

The?evacuation of the animals?was dangerous but was made possible due to the efforts and cooperation of several animal rights groups and Ukrainian refugees.

?For animals left behind in the war-hit nation, several organizations and even civilians, who continue to stay in Ukraine, have been working around the clock to provide them with food and shelter as the war rages on.

Images from Ukraine and its nearby borders show civilians holding onto their pets, fleeing the war-torn country on trains, buses, and even on foot in a desperate attempt to find refuge.

More than two million Ukrainians have crossed the border to Poland ferrying dogs, cats, parrots, and turtles to safety. While there are images that show the bond between humans and pets, heartbreaking pictures from the war-torn nation throw light on how war has affected helpless strays.

Picture: A Ukrainian refugee woman sits in a wheelchair and holds her dog aboard a ferry going to Romania at the border point Isaccea-Orlovka between Romania and Ukraine, Isaccea. (Source: India Today Photo Diary)

Picture : A dog looks at a person holding a plate of food as they wait for transport after fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at a border crossing in Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia. (Source: India Today Photo Diary)

Picture: A man takes pictures of dogs while he visits the "Home for Rescued Animals" shelter in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on March 28, 2022. - At the "Home for Rescued Animals" in the city of Lviv exotic creatures are now sheltered alongside everyday pets. Shelter manager Orest Zalypskyy estimates his shelter has taken in 1,500 animals since the war began, from migrants and shelters in "hot spots" to the east. (Source: India Today Photo Diary)

Picture : A woman leashes dogs while sitting by the fire outside a building that was damaged during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region, Ukraine March 13, 2022. (Source : India Today Photo Diary)

Picture : A veterinary doctor Redeslew Fediczynsk treats a goat at the ADA foundation centre in Przemysl, southeastern Poland, Monday, March 28, 2022. (Source : India Today Photo Diary)