Politics

UN: 3 million refugees flee Ukraine war

Geneva, March 15 (EFE).- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced 3 million people to flee the country since the war began 19 days ago, the International Organization for Migration reported Tuesday.

“We have now reached the three-million mark in terms of movement of people out of Ukraine,” Paul Dillon, spokesman for the UN’s International Organization for Migration, told reporters.

The United Nations Refugee Agency said nearly 90% of refugees are women and children.

The UNHCR added that of the millions of refugees who have fled the conflict, over 1.4 million are minors, many of whom have left Ukraine without family members.

According to Unicef, a child in Ukraine becomes a refugee every second.

“On average, every day over the last 20 days in Ukraine, more than 70,000 children have become refugees,” Unicef spokesman, James Elder, told reporters on Tuesday.

That amounts to 55 child refugees every minute “so almost one per second,” he added.

Elder warned human trafficking criminal organizations could take advantage of vulnerable children during Europe’s worst humanitarian crisis since World War II.

“For predators and human traffickers, war is not a tragedy. It’s an opportunity. And women and children are the targets. They need safety and support every step of the way,” UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday.EFE

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