Break the chain of violence

Children are also victims of domestic violence. However, only one in 130 calls to Ukrainian services regarding domestic violence comes from a child. It is not hard to guess that there are actually many more such children, just many of them do not know about the opportunity to contact the police, do not trust or are afraid. But the figure will become even more numerous if we realize that even in those families where violence occurs against adults, children also suffer.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a word commonly associated with war veterans, but it affects children and adults in their families. Sleep disorders, nightmares, depression are the result of psychological trauma. 

Even more serious are the delayed consequences: the child can transfer the experience gained into adulthood, entering the role of an aggressor (for example, in relation to his own children) or a victim (accepting aggressive partners as the norm). Violence reproduces itself over and over again, and this chain can only be interrupted by providing the victims with psychological assistance in time.

To avoid this, a psychologist must work with children who have suffered from domestic violence. With adolescents, this can happen in the form of a conversation, and with kids they use play and art therapy practices. Children draw, sculpt, tell the psychologist about their drawings and crafts – and what an uninitiated person seems to be fiction for a psychologist is the most important material about the child's experience and his feelings.

In the network of assistance to victims of domestic violence "Pani Patronessa" (Dnipro), child psychologists of the State Association "Alternative Rukh" are constantly working. (You can read more about this in the "Break out of the trap" project).

Among their charges are children who have experienced sexual abuse, children who have seen how one parent beat another, and even those who have witnessed a murder. Psychologists deal with them as long as necessary so that the load of terrible memories does not have a destructive effect on their future life.

600 UAH – the cost of one meeting with a psychologist. For 10 months of the network operation (June 2020 – March 2021), 61 lessons were held. Some of the meetings are held on a volunteer basis, but we managed to pay for most of the classes with the help of caring people! Psychologists do not wait until funds are raised, and hire children as soon as the need arises.

We are opening a new fee for psychological support. Let's do our best to make children with PTSD healthy, happy adults!