UNICEF: One millon children require urgent humanitarian assistance in eastern Ukraine
According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, the number of children requiring urgent humanitarian assistance in eastern Ukraine has double over the last year, reaching one million, TASS reported.
UNICEF stated that the increase “is due to the continued fighting and the steady deterioration of life in eastern Ukraine, where some 1.7 million people have been internally displaced, and many families have lost their incomes, social benefits and access to healthcare, while the price of living has sharply risen."
The organization added that more than 20% of the schools in eastern Ukraine (740) have been destroyed or damaged by the ongoing war in the Donbas.
"Teachers, psychologists and parents report signs of severe psychosocial distress among children including nightmares, aggression, social withdrawal and panic triggered by loud noises," UNICEF stated
The organization once again renewed its call for all parties to observe the ceasefire and allow unrestricted humanitarian access to the war zone.