The United Nations Children’s Agency, UNICEF says the war in Ukraine and rising inflation has pushed more four million children across Eastern Europe and Central Asia into poverty.
UNICEF in a report explained that the figure, representing 19 per cent increase since 2021, showed that children were bearing the heaviest burden of the conflict.
The study includes data from 22 countries in the region, noting that the impact of the war has been particularly severe for children in Russia and Ukraine.
According to the study, in Russia, an additional 2.8 million children live in households below the poverty line and in Ukraine, half a million additional children were living in poverty, followed by Romania with an additional 110,000 children.
The UN agency however warned that sharp increase could result in an additional 4,500 children dying before their first birthdays.
Also, Regional director for Europe and Central Asia Afshan Khan said the economic consequences of the war were having a devastating impact on children.
