26 February 2022
UNICEF and partners are on the ground providing support to children and families in desperate need of safety, stability and protection.
The war in Ukraine is having a devastating impact on the country’s 7.5 million children. Humanitarian needs are multiplying by the hour as the fighting continues. Children continue to be killed, wounded and deeply
traumatized by the violence all around them. Families are terrified, in shock, and desperate for safety.
The past eight years of conflict in Ukraine have already inflicted profound and lasting harm on children. Now, the threats to Ukraine’s
children have grown as homes, schools, orphanages, and hospitals have all come under attack. Two million children have been forced to flee Ukraine, with more than 2.5 million children estimated to have been internally displaced. Such large displacements could have lasting consequences for generations to come. Children fleeing war in Ukraine
are also at heightened risk of human trafficking and exploitation.
Meanwhile, civilian infrastructure like water and sanitation facilities have been hit, leaving millions with limited or no access to safe water. UNICEF is working with partners to reach vulnerable children and families with essential services – including health, education,
protection, water and sanitation – as well as life-saving supplies.
Image Unicef: Katya Joined other Ukrainian Children who fled from their homes
The war in Ukraine poses an enormous threat to the country’s 7.5 million children. Many homes have been damaged or destroyed, while damage to civilian infrastructure has left hundreds of thousands of people without
safe water or electricity. The country is running low on critical medical supplies. Fears of a wider public health crisis are growing as
people have fled their homes and health services are interrupted.
Two million children have been forced to flee Ukraine, while an morethan 2.5 million children are estimated to have been internally displaced. Women and girls travelling on their own are especially at risk of gender-based violence.
For many others, life has moved
underground as families seek safety in shelters, subways, or basements,
often for hours on end. Women are giving birth in makeshift maternity wards with limited medical supplies. Children across Ukraine are in desperate need of safety, stability,
protection and psychosocial care.
War and mass displacement has harmed
families’ livelihoods and economic opportunities, leaving many without
sufficient income to meet their basic needs and unable to provide adequate support for their children.
After eight years of conflict in eastern Ukraine, children and their families need systematic protection services to address gender-based
violence and violence against children, and to access psychosocial care.
Mine risk education and mine victim assistance are critical as explosive
ordnance contamination remains a major threat to life, safety and
stability.
UNICEF calls for an immediate cease-fire and reminds all parties of their international obligations to protect children from harm, and to ensure that humanitarian actors can safely and quickly reach children in need.
For more on the situation visit UNICEF Ukraine and UNICEF in Europe and
Central Asia
unicef.org/ukraineconflict
#UkraineChildren