This event will delve into the complex realities of childhood in wartime, drawing on insights from the research project 'Children and Social Cohesion: Vulnerabilities, Role, and Interests' (as a part of the project ‘Analysis of Social Cohesion and Conflict Sensitivity’ realised with the support of Save the Children and PAX). The discussion will present findings from eight focus group discussions with children (aged 10-14 and 15-17) from internally displaced and local communities across the Chernivtsi, Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Mykolaiv oblasts. By exploring children's personal stories, the event will highlight their experiences of war and internal displacement and the long-term impacts of prolonged online learning. Particular attention will be given to the unique ways children perceive and respond to war-related events.

The session will also address the methodological and ethical challenges of researching children's experiences in conflict settings. Researchers must navigate sensitive topics while ensuring children’s emotional well-being, safety, and informed consent throughout the process. The discussion will emphasise the importance of creating safe, age-appropriate spaces for children to share their perspectives and the ethical responsibility to amplify their voices in a trauma-sensitive and respectful manner. By examining these issues, the event aims to foster a deeper understanding of how war impacts children, how research can contribute to more informed and empathetic responses to their needs, and how researchers can address the sensitivities involved. 

• Speaker: Oksana Mikheieva is Professor of Sociology at the Ukrainian Catholic University (Lviv). From September 2023 to October 2024 she was a UNET fellow at ZOiS and, prior to that, a DAAD Professor at the European University Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder). As part of her fellowship at ZOiS, she worked on a sociological study of young Ukrainians who were forced to migrate to the EU because of the war. 
• Discussant: Irina Mützelburg is a post-doctoral researcher at ZOiS in the project Limspaces and has worked on the education of Ukrainian pupils displaced to Germany since 2022. In this context, she has conducted a survey among displaced Ukrainian parents and semi-structured interviews with parents and pupils in Germany.

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