The Tragedy of Ukrainian Children of War – Globalisation and Civilisation Crossroads of the Modern Era

The article focuses on a relevant contemporary issue – the tragic events taking place in modern Ukraine, struggling for independence in a bloody war against the Russian occupier. In the era of globalisation, the civilisation crossroads where Ukraine is located, determine the accessibility of common cultural values, the necessity of historical consolidation and integration in overcoming global world differences, which sometimes lead to conflicts and wars.The author analyses historical, pedagogical and axiological research on children who have experienced various kinds of trauma as a result of the Russian- -Ukrainian war; typical difficulties faced by Ukrainian teachers in working with students affected by the Russian military aggression have been identified; the author has proposed the most effective methods and techniques for working with children of war, in particular those temporarily displaced due to the war in Ukraine; and outlines the areas of teacher training in the organisation of the educational process in the conditions of (post) martial law. The article focuses on the qualitative interpretation of the research results based on theoretical compilation of the author’s experience and intuition.

Experience of war trauma in narratives of Ukrainian children

During war children are a group particularly vulnerable to traumatic experiences, as they face the real threat of loss of life or health. Children experience fear, pain, hunger, disease, disability, homelessness and loneliness. Wartime misfortunes can trigger post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in both adults and children, which is also associated with “survivor syndrome”. This study sought to learn about the image of war and to understand the traumatic wartime experiences of Ukrainian children. Qualitative research was used to learn about in-depth experience of the subjects. Written narratives of the “children of war” who remained in Ukraine and those who found refuge in Poland were analysed and interpreted. The analysis of the relations allowed for conceptualizing the image of war and categorizing the experiences of children suffering wartime atrocities. Firstly, for the children, war brings an experience of death; secondly, war is related to cruelty, violence and callousness; thirdly, it brings a transformation of the value system; fourthly, war is a long-term state of uncertainty; fifthly, war involves sudden migration. Due to the testimonies analysed, it was possible to learn about children’s perceptions of war.