Tannuka Juneja
More than three months of the war in Ukraine has had “devastating consequences for children on a scale and at a speed not seen since World War II”.
The war has left three million children in Ukraine and more than 2.2 million Ukrainian children in refugee-receiving countries now in need of humanitarian assistance. As a result of the fighting, almost two-thirds of all children in Ukraine have become displaced persons.
On average, more than two children are killed and more than four injured every day in Ukraine. The main part of the victims is the result of shelling of settlements with the use of explosive weapons.
During the war, many hospitals and schools were damaged or destroyed. The situation of children in the east and south of Ukraine, where active hostilities are taking place, is becoming more and more desperate.
“Without an immediate ceasefire and peace talks, children in Ukraine will continue to suffer – as will vulnerable children around the world who will suffer from the negative fallout from war,” said Catherine Russell, Executive Director, UNICEF.
UNICEF and its partners are ramping up their operations in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, including expanding projects in child protection, water and sanitation, health, nutrition and education.
UNICEF called on donors to allocate $624.2 million to support its humanitarian activities in Ukraine and $324.7 million for projects in countries hosting Ukrainian refugees.
