Return of childhood: how specialists meet children after the occupation

After returning from the occupation, children often smile for the first time in a long time. But along with the smile, there is fear, anxiety and distrust. And it is at this moment that they are met by specialists who know how to be there for them without unnecessary words.

Natalia Humeniuk, a case manager at the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, is one of those who meet children immediately upon their return. She works with teenagers who were returned from Russian camps, those who left the occupation on their own, and children whose parents were able to take them to the territory controlled by Ukraine.

Natalia tells us how a guy from Donetsk region was happy about ordinary things, just because he could go to McDonald’s. He did not have this opportunity during the occupation.

“And they took it away from him,” Natalia says. And in this simple phrase is the essence of what Russia is trying to take away: the feeling of a normal childhood.

There are more stories in the RBC Ukraine article. About children who lived in isolation. About traumas, losses in health, education, and social skills. And about the specialists who help them return – not only physically, but also mentally.