Ukraine war: 4 million children exposed to poverty – UN

The United Nations children agency UNICEF says four million children have been pushed into poverty across Eastern Europe and Central Asia as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising inflation.

According to UNICEF “Children are bearing the heaviest burden of the economic crisis caused by the war in Ukraine”.

The conflict “and rising inflation have driven an additional four million children across Eastern Europe and Central Asia into poverty, a 19 percent increase since 2021,” it said.

Russian and Ukrainian children have been at the receiving end of the war since Moscow attacked its neighbor in February.

Reports reveal that Russia accounts for nearly three-quarters of the total increase in the number of children living in poverty due to the Ukraine war and a cost of living crisis across the region, with an additional 2.8 million children now living in households below the poverty line.

 “Ukraine is home to half a million additional children living in poverty, the second largest share,” UNICEF revealed.

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Romania followed closely behind, with a further 110,000 children living in poverty.

UNICEF regional director for Europe and Central Asia, Afshan Khan, said that “Children all over the region are being swept up in this war’s terrible wake”.

This calls for a range of measures to tackle the issue, including providing universal cash benefits for children and protecting social spending, especially for the most vulnerable children and families.

“Austerity measures will particularly hurt children, plunging them into poverty and making it harder for families who are already struggling,” Khan said.

“We have to protect and expand social support for vulnerable families before the situation gets any worse” he also added.

Samuel Omowumi Racheal