War against Ukraine: Four million children pushed into poverty

According to a study, the war against Ukraine has plunged four million children into poverty. According to the UN, the number has risen by 19 percent in one year. Children from Russia are particularly badly affected.

According to the UN, the effects of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine have pushed four million children into poverty in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. “Children bear the greatest burden of the economic consequences of the Ukraine war,” said the UN children’s aid organization UNICEF. As a result of the conflict and the resulting inflation, the number of poor children in Eastern Europe and Central Asia has increased by 19 percent within a year.

Of the UNICEF report is based on data from 22 countries. Accordingly, the effects of the war on children in Russia and Ukraine are particularly strong. According to the report, Russia accounts for three quarters of the increase in children living in poverty, where the number of children affected by poverty increased by 2.8 million as a result of the war. According to UNICEF, the number of poor children in Ukraine has increased by half a million because of the war. In third place is Romania, where the number of children living in poverty increased by 110,000.

Little money remains for health and education

“Children across the region are being drawn into the horrific effects of this war,” said UNICEF Regional Director Afshan Khan. If the affected children and their families do not get help quickly, “the precipitous rise in child poverty will almost certainly mean lost lives, lost learning and lost futures”.

The poorer a family, the greater the proportion of its income that is spent on basic necessities such as food and fuel, the study said. If the cost of these goods rose sharply, there would be less money left for other needs like health care and education.

4500 children could die prematurely

For many, childhood poverty is a lifelong experience. One in three children born and raised in poverty will also live in poverty as an adult. This leads to an intergenerational cycle of poverty and disadvantage. Children living in poverty are also more likely to be at risk of violence, exploitation and abuse.

The UN children’s aid organization warned that the increase in child poverty this year alone could result in an additional 4,500 children dying before they reach the age of one and 117,000 children dropping out of school.