Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis

The humanitarian situation in Ukraine worsened in August and September 2024 due to increased bombardment and ground offensives by Russian forces at the front lines in the Northeast, East and South. August recorded the second-highest number of civilian casualties this year, with 184 people killed and 886 injured.  

The escalating use of explosives in populated areas has had a disproportionate effect on children, people with disabilities and older adults. Explosives have devastated essential infrastructure, including homes, hospitals and schools. The World Health Organization has verified 1,365 attacks on health care facilities.

As winter approaches, Ukrainian civilians face dire conditions with continued attacks on homes, businesses, health care facilities and other infrastructure. Women and children face additional risks to their health when the temperatures drop, as they may not have assistance unloading solid fuel and repairing broken windows, damaged roofs and insulation. Many forests where civilians might collect firewood have become minefields.

According to USAID, “Disruptions in electrical supply present barriers for winter heating in…three oblasts, increasing health-related risks for residents as temperatures continue to decline…As of late October, approximately 40 percent of the remaining 11,900 residents in Pokrovsk were completely without electricity.”

Residents in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Sumy have been issued warnings that critical municipal utilities cannot be repaired or restored with ongoing hostilities. This will likely continue through the 2024/2025 winter season, exacerbating untenable conditions for vulnerable populations.

OCHA’s Winter Response Plan 2024-2025 requests $492.1 million to aid 1.8 million people across Ukraine through winter, with temperatures dropping below freezing from October through March. Nearly 4 million internally displaced people and 90,000 people in temporary shelters need aid to prepare for this season.

Exposure to conflict is cited as the most prevalent risk to children. Even if children can access shelters, the shelters may not be safe. They are often in dark, cold, wet basements; they smell of sewage and lack basic sanitation.

Additionally, at least 730,000 Ukrainian minors have “arrived in Russia” since the full-scale invasion began, according to Russian data reported by the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, on April 4, 2024.

The international community and Ukraine call it an “illegal transfer” of children, and The Hague issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova.

Ukraine has the highest rate of child institutionalization in Europe, with over 100,000 children living in residential homes because of poverty, family instability or because they have disabilities.

At least 29% of internally displaced people are under 18.

Because of COVID-19 and the war, children’s schooling has been disrupted for over four years, the length of a primary school education in Ukraine. More than 600,000 children do not have access to in-person learning at all. While nearly half of children access remote schooling inside Ukraine, constant disruptions to the internet, electricity, or a lack of hardware make it unsuitable as a long-term solution.

The closer children live to the frontline, the more they rely on remote learning, but the more disruptions they may face. Around 1 in 10 schools have shuttered because they were destroyed or damaged or because they lack secure bomb shelters.

Lastly, approximately half of Ukrainian refugee children in neighboring countries are not enrolled in their host country’s schools. Even if children attend school, the mental and emotional toll of living through war has a disastrous effect on learning.

“It is very difficult emotionally and morally. Periodic air raids, blackouts, lack of internet… Children are afraid,” a teacher in the Lviv region said. The downstream effects of disrupted education in children have enormous consequences for their prospects and the future of Ukrainian society.

Save the Children reports a lack of adapted facilities, such as ramps, restrooms, and classrooms, in almost all regions, making physical access to education challenging for children with disabilities. There is also a lack of specialists and teachers to cater to the specific needs of these children.

For 2024, there is a 45% shortfall in funding for education in Ukraine’s Humanitarian Response Plan.

The effects of war on women are catastrophic. In Ukraine, women are 72% of unemployed people; they face a heightened risk of human trafficking, sexual and physical violence, and.

Women account for 60%  of internally displaced people, as well as the greatest proportion of refugees. Yet, protections and aid for women and girls remain underfunded.

Women often lack resources, face barriers to accessing services and are vulnerable to gender-based violence (GBV). Only 58% of the funding goal for GBV in 2024 has been reached. Many women are reluctant to discuss issues of violence and sexual assault. Except for one hromada (or municipality), there are no internationally-led programs to address GBV issues in provinces closer to the frontline.

Oblasts (provinces) closer to the frontline, mainly Kharviska, Donetsk and Khersonska, have seen major demographic shifts since the start of the war because they host a high number of IDPs. Across the county, 5% of IDPs have a state-recognized disability. Because of shelling and combat operations, residents must often evacuate, which has caused a major decrease in the number of children and minors in these areas and an increase in older adults over 60 (23% of IDPs).

People with chronic illnesses that require continuous care, those with disabilities, and those with mental/behavioral disorders are less able to flee the conflict. Many face unmet needs for medications and medical assistance, which require establishing mobile teams. These populations have trouble meeting their basic daily needs and must rely on family and friends for help.

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