The war in Ukraine has forced more than five million refugees to
flee to other parts of Europe with more than 700,000 of them seeking
refuge in Germany.
The tangible sufferings of the war aside, there was a hidden cost.
They have to bear that of trauma. This is especially true of the
youngest refugees in partnership with the Global Health Reporting
Center Special correspondent will Winter cross reports from Berlin
and a warning.
There's a discussion of suicidal thoughts in this story.
They've never never felt this way before. When, when you don't know
what's going to happen, like in a month. Where what you gonna do
with your life?
We're gonna go Larry escape separate
in southern Ukraine in early March, when Russian troops began bombing
nearby.
He arrived in Berlin was sent to the north under hostile
Currently home to 50 Children and their mothers or Ukrainian war
refugees.
It is run by
A major German charity, which helps the Children find places in German
schools and critically get psychological support.
Eight year old Daniel Zhukovsky
fled Ukraine in early March as the fighting intensified.
Ready
when there were explosions. We sealed the windows with adhesive tape
so that fragments will not hit us.
11 year old Maria Symonenko also escaped the war.
Maybe she's a share some oil. Is that us? The thing I miss most in
my city right now is my dad and I really miss his love and care right
now. Water. Missed my home. My dad. I was very sad that he
had to stay back
deals. What would you do now, if you saw your dad
He opens up a local
I would have to cry from joy. It's like my country. I have half a
feeling that it will win and half of feeling it one
And if it doesn't win, how will you feel?
Mm.
Research shows that extended separation from a parent or caregiver.
One of the most stressful things a child can experience and, of course,
so is war.
Stresses accumulate.
All Children love Maria and Daniel. Oh,
The impact is mental, physical and potentially lifelong.
His Melania card and German psychologist.
From reset in a psychologist. We know that the long term effects
are really, really bad if we don't get immediately help at the point
after Traumatization long term effects can be, for example, sleeping
disorders, depression anxiety up to really intense feelings of suicidality
or even
So, he said. Suicide attempts, But this harm is not inevitable. With
the right help card who care, finding Chris and chat a 24 hour crisis
hotline. How did Ukrainian speaking counselors to organization to
help the newcomers?
We extended our platform and worked with our network together to
set up very quickly crisis help for young people who are directly
affected by the war in Ukraine.
The hotline is part of a broader German effort to help what sometimes
seems like an overwhelming number of new arrivals.
This reception center here in Berlin
processed over 300,000 Ukrainian refugees so far quarter of them
have been Children, many of which have been suffering from severe
mental trauma.
Barbara broke from the main charity helping Ukrainian refugees Berlin
Central Station
Explains that they learned from the Syrian refugee crisis. The integration
doesn't happen by itself. We have to help people chose them. We see
you. We are here for you. We've got open ears, open arms.
And I think that's the first thing that you have to do points out.
Rapid integration is so key to helping vulnerable Children.
So that they don't get depression that they have something to do
that they find friends, even if it's not for long, maybe for a year
or as long this war may lost. They should feel at home for this time
and not be afraid and feel homesick all the time. In the Syrian crisis,
Germany was very slow to integrate the Children into the German system
of school, for example.
Now we are much more fast, and it's very important that we are fast
to integrate the Ukrainian Children into the normal system because
they all experienced kinds of trauma.
Maria Zerby escaped Syria Berlin with her family when she was 10.
And also went straight into the German school system. What I think
was very well done was I was putting out, uh, welcomes classes, which
is like a welcome class.
And it's supposed to teach you German integrate you into the German
school system, and we all got along very well. It's my happiest memory
is that first year in Germany
Matter, and her younger sister, Julia, who's 15 had the home bombed
in Syria.
And witnessed their father being arrested by the secret police.
A feat that often ends in execution.
Their father spent 60 days in solitary confinement. I realized my
dad's laptop is in the back seat.
And I was 100% sure that if they found this than
they'll take him for good and
So I went to the back seat and I sat on the left top, which was in
a bag. Um and I told Julia to sit on my lap so that they wouldn't
see anything.
Julia describes the effect this had on her.
At least for the first two years. In Germany, it was
Um, very difficult for me to adapt. I think simple things could trigger
um, like me crying or me running away from things when I would see
people wearing military clothes, for example, or if people
Seems suspicious. And I would think that the secret police found
some sort of way to travel to Germany and get us the old fair hasn't
disappeared.
This is just one of the events that probably caused me to feel ostracized
and wanting to put up a fight. Every time I spoke to someone, and
just
Constantly trying not to get hurt.
I returned to the hospital to find out how Daniel Oh, Valerie, we're
getting on.
As long as I don't think about it. I feel very good. But when I start
thinking about Dad, I feel very bad.
Of course, it's great that I'm in Berlin. Not in
Ukraine right now under bonbons sitting in the basement. Of course
it is great, but still
It's It's really hard to adapt.
As 2000. Ukrainian refugees continue to stream into Germany per day.
It's clearly authorities have their work cut out.
And as for the young recent arrivals, it's a new house, but not necessarily
a new home.
Yet.