How to interview children with war trauma

Eurochild member from Ukraine Voices of Children Foundation is training journalists on how to ethically conduct an interview with a child who has experienced war trauma

Every day, Ukrainian and foreign journalists are working on the front line and in the rear to cover the events of the Russian invasion and Voices has been offering courses to journalists from the BBC, CNN, The New York Times and other foreign media to make sure they communicate ethically with children and not harm them.

In one of the first workhops, Nataliya Masyak, a psychiatrist and member of the Foundation’s board, spoke about the basic rules for working with children who have gone through difficult and traumatic experiences. The participants learned about the signs that indicate that a child is in a state of trauma, how to write about the death of loved ones or suicide cases, how to avoid retraumatising a child, and whether to recommend seeking help from a psychologist. 

The foundation’s team plans to regularly conduct free workshops in different cities also for local media outlets.

Are you a journalist?

• Download the guide for journalists (in Ukrainian) on how to conduct ethical interviews with children. 
• If you would like to attend the training, please email press@voices.org.ua