New Delhi: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Monday that a Russian missile strike on a dormitory in Odessa had killed a 14-year-old boy and wounded a 17-year-old girl.
Zelenskyy asked: “For what? What did these children and the dormitory threaten the Russian state with?”
The Ukraine President claimed 220 children have been killed since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February.
He added at least 1,570 education institutions have been destroyed or damaged.
The UNHCR and UNICEF said last week that 1.6 million children may be displaced outside the country.
The agencies said, “Children are – and will be – disproportionately affected given their unique vulnerabilities and needs, which can be heightened by a child’s age, gender, disability, and circumstances.”
They further said: “Children without parental care are at a heightened risk of violence, gender-based violence, abuse and exploitation. When these children are moved across borders, whether through evacuations or having by parents or relatives in order to protect them, these risks are multiplied. The risk of trafficking also soars in emergencies.
“Neighbouring and impacted countries must ensure the immediate identification and registration of unaccompanied and separated children fleeing from Ukraine, after allowing them access to territory.”
According to the latest figures by the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, more than 5.5 million people have fled Ukraine so far.
Over three million refugees fled to Poland, while Romania took in 817,000 and Slovakia nearly 372,000, as of April end.
The arrival statistics are compiled from many sources, mainly data provided by authorities from official border crossing points.
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