November 10, 2020
By Beatrice Godefroy and Liza Baran
Imagine that you live in one of the isolated villages located near the contact line in Eastern Ukraine.
What would your life look like?
Statistics show a 61% probability you would be a woman, 41% likelihood you would be over 60 years old, and 13% chance you would have a disability. It is also very likely you would be one of the six out of ten people for whom the fire and shelling in the residential blocks and near your village present the biggest safety concern.
Based on public opinion research conducted by our organization, Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), it is even more probable that, together with 91% of people living nearby, you would fear for your personal safety or for the safety of your family.
Moreover, your fears would be compounded by the deterioration of the economic environment, further exacerbated by quarantine measures introduced due to the outbreak of COVID-19, which diminished access to livelihoods – especially for women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
