Ukraine: More than half of child population displaced by war

Geneva: The United Nations informed that more than half of the children residing in Ukraine were displaced from the war-hit nation after Russia initiated its offence into the country on February 24, Agence France-Presse reported.

The UN's children agency Unicef said that one month of the war in Ukraine has led to the displacement of 4.3 million children, which is more than half of the 7.5 million estimated child population there.

Also, the displaced children constitute nearly half of the total displaced population in Ukraine due to the ravages of war, it said. While 1.8 million displaced children have fled the country itself, 2.5 have been relocated into safe places within the nation, UN informed.

Unicef said that more than 4,50,000 children aged six to 23 months need complementary food support. There is a fall in the routine vaccination coverage for childhood immunization against diseases like measles and polio. Such a situation could lead to an outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases where people are living crowded due to the ongoing violence.

Unicef chief Catherine Russell said that the war had caused one of the significant displacement of children since World War II. This could have lasting consequences on the generations to come, she said. Children's safety, wellbeing and access to essential services are being threatened by the relentless, brutal violence, she added.

The UN human rights office has confirmed that 81 children have been killed so far because of the conflict while 108 were injured, but the office is sure that the toll must be far higher.

Unicef appealed for an immediate ceasefire to protect children from harm. It called for no attack on essential infrastructure for children such as schools, hospitals etc. Children need peace and protection as well as their rights.

While the World Health Organisation verified 64 attacks on health care infrastructure since the invasion started, Unicef says that more than 500 educational institutions have sustained damage. Unicef further estimated that 1,4 million people now have no access to safe water, while 4.6 million are facing limited access to it. The latter is at risk of losing access to water too.