Apr 11, 2022 - World

Nearly two-thirds of Ukrainian children have fled homes, UN says

Rebecca Falconer

A refugee girl from Ukraine sits with her luggage in the ticket hall of the railway station in Przemysl, eastern Poland, April 7 — A girl from Ukraine with her luggage at the railway station in Przemysl, eastern Poland, on April 7. Photo: Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images

Nearly "two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have been displaced" in the six weeks since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine and at least 142 kids have been killed, the United Nations children's agency said Monday. The death toll is "likely much higher," UNICEF said.

The big picture: UNICEF Emergency Programs director Manuel Fontaine, who's just returned from Ukraine, told the U.N. Security Council that of the 3.2 million children estimated to have remained in their homes, "nearly half may be at risk of not having enough food."

"Attacks on water system infrastructure and power outages have left an estimated 1.4 million people without access to water in Ukraine. Another 4.6 million people have only limited access," Fontaine said.

Meanwhile, the situation is "even worse in cities like Mariupol and Kherson," where children and their families have "gone weeks without running water and sanitation services, a regular supply of food and medical care," Fontaine said.

"They are sheltering in their homes and underground, waiting for the bombs and violence to stop," he added.

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Nearly two-thirds of Ukrainian children have fled homes, UN says

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