In a shocking disclosure, the Unicef revealed that at least two children have been killed every day with many more injured, nearly 100 days since the Russian invasion of Ukraine that started on February 24.
Most of the victims, the UN agency said, were from "attacks using explosive weapons in populated areas."
The scale and speed of the emergency in Ukraine have not been seen since World War Two, Unicef said in a statement Wednesday, which estimated that 5.2 million children there now need humanitarian assistance; 3 million inside the country and more than 2.2 million in refugee-hosting countries.
As intense artillery exchanges continue between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donetsk and amid reports that Russian troops now control much of the city of Sievierodonetsk, the UN agency said, almost two in three children in Ukraine have been displaced by fighting.
"Civilian infrastructure on which children depend continues to be damaged or destroyed," Unicef added. "This so far includes at least 256 health facilities and one in six Unicef-supported 'Safe Schools' in the country's east. Hundreds of other schools across the country have also been damaged."
In addition to the trauma of fleeing their homes, children fleeing violence faced a significant risk of family separation, abuse, sexual exploitation and trafficking.
"These children urgently need safety, stability, child protection services, and psychosocial support – especially those who are unaccompanied or have been separated from their families. More than anything, they need peace," the UN agency said.
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