Three years ago today, Russian forces escalated the conflict in Ukraine into a full-scale war. Since then, millions have endured unimaginable hardship. Our hearts are with all those suffering — both in Ukraine and in every corner of the world where conflict continues to destroy lives.
Since the beginning of the war, millions of Ukrainian refugees have fled their country in search of safety. Child helplines across Europe have expanded their services to cater to the needs of these individuals, offering Ukrainian-speaking counselling services. Through the Children’s Voices: Ukraine project, together with our members La Strada (Ukraine), FDDS (Poland), Kék Vonal (Hungary), Linka Detskej Istoty (Slovakia) and Asociația Telefonul Copilului (Romania)—have worked to strengthen helpline services for Ukrainian children. Now concluding its third phase, with support from Terre des Hommes Netherlands, the project has focused on understanding and addressing the needs of displaced children.
Early in the project, we identified a gap: despite available services, many Ukrainian children were not reaching out for help. This led us to investigate the barriers preventing them from accessing support. The findings, detailed in our Country Reports and Community Report, highlighted key challenges and informed our approach.
Throughout this phase of the project, we collected data from the participating members on the contacts they received from children and young people regarding various issues related to the war. These issues could range from anxiety about the war spreading (Mental Health), to bullying in school (Violence) and accessing the local education system (Access to Services), to name but a few. The case of La Strada, the child helpline in Ukraine, is unique – it serves all children within a country at war (and sometimes outside it, as well), without a separate service for those affected by the conflict. Because of this, we present their data separately from the other helplines.
Our goal is clear: to amplify the voices of children affected by the war, inform policies and provide a data-driven understanding of help-seeking behaviour. Based on our findings, we recommend:
- Enhancing awareness and access to child helplines, to ensure all children and young people, including Ukrainian refugees, are informed of child helplines’ services and functionality.
- Adapting services for the evolving needs of refugee children, young people and their families.
- Resourcing and expanding child helplines to provide support and guidance to all those in need of it. Funding for services supporting refugees is dwindling, while refugees’ needs are not. Child helplines are a low-threshold, freely accessible and child-friendly entry point into the child protection system.
- Exploring and piloting the routing of contacts between child helplines to relieve pressure on La Strada Ukraine and strengthen responses.
We continue to stand with Ukraine’s children and young people, hoping for an end to this war — and for healing for all those affected.
Anastasia Shuster, PhD
Senior Manager, Data & Research
