UNICEF warns 1.5 million kids fleeing Ukraine at risk of trafficking and exploitation
CBSN
The United Nations Children's Fund says the threat of child trafficking and exploitation is "real and growing" as more than 1.5 million kids have fled Ukraine following Russia's attacks. According to the agency, a child becomes a refugee of the war nearly every second.
"The war in Ukraine is leading to massive displacement and refugee flows — conditions that could lead to a significant spike in human trafficking and an acute child protection crisis," UNICEF's Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia said in a statement Saturday.
Between February 24 and March 17, more than 500 unaccompanied children were identified crossing from Ukraine into Romania, but the amount of separated children fleeing is probably much higher, UNICEF reported. The United Nations said more than 3 million people in total had fled Ukraine within 20 days.
Kyiv, Ukraine — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that American military aid on its way to Ukraine will make a "real difference" on the battlefield, as the top diplomat made an unannounced visit to reassure an ally facing a fierce new Russian offensive. In increasingly intense attacks along Ukraine's northeast border in recent days, Moscow's troops have captured around 40 to 50 square miles of territory, including at least seven villages, according to open source monitoring analysts.
A trove of gold and silver coins that experts believe were swindled out of an ailing population by an 18th-century conman has been discovered in central Poland, officials said. Volunteer metal detectorists found the treasure hidden underground in multiple locations while exploring the Jeleniowskie mountain range with permission from the local government, and the fact that it exists seems to validate a centuries-old legend.
Tel Aviv — Nearly 360,000 people had fled the Gaza Strip's southernmost city of Rafah by Monday, according to the United Nations, in an exodus that tripled in size over just a few days. The Israel Defense Forces sparked the upheaval late last week, issuing evacuation orders by text messages and fliers dropped from the sky to people in the city's eastern half.
Russia's renewed ground offensive in Ukraine's northeast targeted towns and villages with a barrage of artillery and mortar fire, officials said Sunday. Thousands of civilians fled the Kharkiv region as the intense battle capitulated more land to Russian forces across less defended settlements in the so-called contested "gray zone" along the Russian border.