An unprecedented number of 36.5 million children were displaced by conflict, violence and other crises by the end of 2021, the highest number since World War II, according to the UN Children’s Fund UNICEF.
\nThe figure includes 13.7 million refugees and asylum-seeking children, and nearly 22.8 million children who are internally displaced due to conflict and violence.
\nThe displacement of children is increasing fast, with its global number shot up by 2.2 million by 2021 from the previous year, said the UN agency in a press statement on Friday.
\nThe record number of children displaced is a direct result of cascading crises \u2013 including conflicts such as in Afghanistan, fragility in the countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Yemen.
\nThere were 7.3 million new displacement of children as a consequence of natural disaster in 2021.
\n\u2018I hope this alarming number will move governments to prevent children from being displaced in the first place \u2013 and when they are displaced, the governments will ensure their access to education, protection, and other critical services that support their wellbeing and development now and in the future,\u2019 said UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell.
\nCrises like the war in Ukraine \u2013 which has caused more than 2 million children to flee the country and displaced 3 million internally since February \u2013 come on top of this record.
\nAdditionally, children and families are also being driven from their homes by extreme weather events, such as by drought in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, and severe flooding in Bangladesh, India and South Africa.
\nThe global refugee population has more than doubled in the last decade, with children making up almost half of the total.
\nAs the number of the displaced persons and refugee children reaches a record high, access to essential support and services like healthcare, education and protection is falling short, said the UNICEF.
\nThese children can face grave risks to their well-being and safety. This is particularly true for the hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied or separated children who are at heightened risk of trafficking, exploitation, violence and abuse, according to the statement. The children account for approximately 34 per cent of detected trafficking victims globally.
\nThe UNICEF urges the member states to put an end to harmful border management practices and child immigration detention, empower refugee, migrant and displaced youth to unleash their talents and realise their full potential, and provide equal support to all children wherever they come from.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An unprecedented number of 36.5 million children were displaced by conflict, violence and other crises by the end of 2021, the highest number since World War II, according to the UN Children’s Fund UNICEF. The figure includes 13.7 million refugees and asylum-seeking children, and nearly 22.8 million children who are internally displaced due to conflict … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[216,217],"yoast_head":"\n