New Delhi: At least 25 children have been verified killed in Ukraine between January and March 2024, UNICEF said on Saturday, adding that the number was nearly 40 percent higher than last year.
“As deadly attacks continue, children and their families are forced to endure yet more loss and destruction,” said Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, after visiting Ukraine this week.
According to UNICEF, attacks across the country continue, destroying schools, health facilities and residential buildings.
According to UNICEF data, since the start of the war in 2022, at least 600 children have been killed and more than 1,350 injured. The agency said that the true number of children killed and injured was likely much higher.
According to UNICEF, the ongoing attacks in Ukraine are not only resulting in the loss of innocent lives but also destroying the infrastructure that children rely on. In the first three months of the year, thousands of homes, 36 health facilities, and 140 educational facilities were damaged or destroyed, it said.
The UNICEF added that it was working to preserve learning opportunities for children through rehabilitating schools and shelters, and providing them with at-home learning kits. It also said that it was delivering mental health and psychosocial support to help children cope with the ongoing violence.