The Ministry of Emergency Situations is launching a new information campaign "Children are not adults! Do not leave them alone!"
February 5, 2026
The Ministry of Emergency Situations Launches a New Information Campaign "Children are not Adults! Do Not Leave Them Alone!"
Every year, cases of child fatalities and injuries occur in Belarus. Most often, they are due to the same reason: adults lose control. "Just for a minute" – and children are left alone. It may seem that nothing terrible will happen, but these very minutes sometimes decide everything. Many parents believe that their child is already independent enough to be left alone. However, children, especially preschoolers, are only learning to recognize danger. At the same time, parents pay little attention to teaching children basic safety rules. What's worse, they sometimes set an example of unsafe behavior themselves.
Over the past five years in Belarus (2020-2024), 38 children have died in fires. 14 cases were registered in cities, and 24 in rural areas. As of December 30, 2025, 4 children have died in fires. The most vulnerable group is children under 7 years old. The main causes of tragedies include: careless handling of fire by adults (including smoking); violation of electrical equipment operation rules; children's mischief with fire (playing with matches, lighters, flammable liquids).
Water poses no less danger to children. From 2020 to 2024, 131 children drowned in Belarus (including 67 during direct swimming in water bodies), of which 12 fell through the ice. In the 2025 swimming season alone (May-September), 8 children died (including 2 during direct swimming in a water body). The reasons are all the same: lack of supervision, overconfidence, inability to swim, recreation at unguarded beaches, lack of basic safety knowledge and skills. One minute without attention, and ordinary water recreation turns into a tragedy.
To draw parents' attention to the problem of child fatalities and injuries among preschool and primary school-aged children in fires and water bodies, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, with the support of the UNICEF Representative Office in the Republic of Belarus, has developed a new information campaign "Children are not adults! Do not leave them alone!".
Campaign period: from January 1 to December 31, 2026.
The campaign urges adults to change their attitude towards child safety, abandon overconfidence, and maintain constant vigilance.
Parents are often proud when their child behaves "like an adult": helps, shows independence, reasons competently. They want to see their child as a little adult – smart and responsible, who can already handle many household chores on their own. But this is self-deception, because children are not adults. Even if they know how to turn on the stove, charge their phone, or make themselves tea. They are still children who lack the experience, knowledge, and self-preservation instinct of an adult.
A child may imitate adult actions but not understand their consequences. They see parents cooking, using electrical appliances (iron, stove, kettle), and want to "do as the adults do." However, what is routine for us is a game for a child, where any mistake can be life-threatening. And when parents leave children alone, often with the conviction that "my child is already grown up," that's precisely when tragedies occur.
While the child is playing at being an adult, the adult must play the role of protector. This is why the campaign slogan is simple, clear, and to the point: "Children are not adults! Do not leave them alone!"
Thus, the social advertisement from the Ministry of Emergency Situations does not aim to frighten, but rather to make even those who believe "this will never happen to my children" stop and think. No phone call, shopping trip, or errand is worth risking what is most precious. And wherever you are in a hurry to go, take your child with you. It is better for them to wait nearby, because with you, they are safe. Protect your children!