UNICEF has denounced the worsening humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. The organization is continuing to provide aid to women and children in the country. An estimated 15.7 million people in the country need assistance, including 3 million minors, the agency said.
In Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, millions of children face extreme food scarcity and lack clean drinking water, according to UNICEF. The Horn of Africa is currently facing its worst drought in decades.
The UN refugee agency and UNICEF have opened at the border of the northeastern Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia two 'Blue Dots' -- areas to support minors, women, families and people with special needs who are fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Many Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country are likely to suffer severe mental health issues in the long-term, experts believe. They worry that all refugees could soon face even longer wait periods before they can get help, as demand for counseling exceeds availabilities.
The UN children's agency reports that, after six weeks of war, almost three million children in Ukraine need humanitarian assistance. So far the UN has verified the deaths of 142 children in the conflict.
UNICEF reached 7,000 refugee and migrant children and teens in 2021 through its program in Italy, the organization said in an annual report released on Monday, April 11.
UNICEF is sounding the alarm over the risks associated with human trafficking for women and children fleeing the war in Ukraine. The UN estimates nearly 10 million Ukrainians have now been displaced. Pope Francis, in his Angelus prayer, called for their protection.
UNICEF has released a report shedding light on the negative impacts of the pandemic on migrant women in Italy. It said discrimination already linked to gender and migration, combined with the challenges imposed by COVID-19, had increased the likelihood that migrant women in Italy will suffer violence.
The Italian branch of UNICEF has announced that a watchdog body will soon be set up to prevent health-related harm resulting from child labor. About 28,000 children are believed to be working in the country, half of them are unaccompanied migrant minors.
A new report by UNICEF Italy showed that the Covid pandemic slowed inclusion for young migrants but also highlighted their resilience in the face of challenge.
UNICEF Italia's spokesperson, Andrea Iacomini, has harshly criticized European countries following reports that a child froze to death in the border region between Belarus and Poland. "We can't just say 'enough' -- now we are waiting for a concrete gesture," he said.
The UN has calculated that almost 18,000 people lost their lives in the Mediterranean since a ship capsized in 2013 off Lampedusa, killing 368.