Almost every fourth child in the world has suffered directly from war. These are the findings of the study “Protection of Childhood: Security Dimensions for Children and Adolescents" presented during the Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen.
According to Olena Zelenska, wife of the President of Ukraine, the study covered 15 countries: Ukraine, the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Lithuania, Qatar, Serbia, and Türkiye. Each country was represented by 300 parents and the same number of children aged 13 to 17. Five aspects were studied: children's safety during wars, at school and on the Internet, well-being at home, and environmental threats.
“These are the main topics we have focused on at this year's fourth First Ladies and Gentlemen Summit in Kyiv. Security, and especially the security of children, has many dimensions, and we have particularly examined the main threats faced or likely to be faced by all children in the world, regardless of the country they live in,” the First Lady said.
For example, according to the study:
Eight out of 10 children have encountered situations at school that negatively affected their safety and well-being.
Eight out of 10 children know at least one person who has encountered harmful content on the Internet.
Every sixth child is worried about their safety at home.
Among the main problems mentioned by parents around the world are rising prices, poverty and unemployment.
Children also put rising prices at the top of the list of concerns for the younger generation. However, when asked to rank the challenges that affect them personally, children prioritized mental health. It was followed by family worries and environmental issues.
At the same time, in Japan, Serbia, Ukraine and Türkiye, war and related dangers dominate children's concerns.
Almost every fourth child has suffered directly from the war, and 67% have been indirectly affected by it. Only 31% of the parents and 33% of the children directly affected by the war rate their mental state as positive.
“The indirect impact of the war is felt even in the responses from countries where there is no war now. This proves the point we often repeat in Ukraine: the war unleashed by Russia affects the whole world and all children,” the First Lady concluded.
Detailed results of the survey can be found at this link.
The research was conducted by Catalyse Research together with BRAND UKRAINE with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on behalf of the Summit.