UN officials: Ukraine's children and women need more protection

UNITED NATIONS • Top officials at the United Nations have called for both an investigation into Russia's violence against women during its invasion of Ukraine and the protection of children in the conflict.

"This war must stop. Now," Ms Sima Bahous, director of the UN women's agency, said at a meeting of the Security Council in New York on Monday.

"We are increasingly hearing of rape and sexual violence. These allegations must be independently investigated to ensure justice and accountability."

Ms Bahous, who recently returned from a trip to the region, said the combination of "mass displacement with the large presence of conscripts and mercenaries, and the brutality displayed against Ukrainian civilians, has raised all red flags".

It was not clear if the Security Council, on which Russia is a veto-wielding permanent member, would agree to any investigation.

Russia on Monday again rejected accusations made by other members of the Security Council. Its deputy ambassador to the UN, Mr Dmitry Polyansky, asked the group to respect the "presumption of innocence", and insisted that his country's "special military operation" was intended to "save Ukraine's future".

Mr Manuel Fontaine, director of emergency programmes at Unicef, the UN children's fund, also called for an end to the war and warned of the risk to children of famine.

"Of the 3.2 million children estimated to have remained in their homes, nearly half may be at risk of not having enough food," he told the council. "The situation is even worse in cities like Mariupol and Kherson, where children and their families have now gone weeks without running water and sanitation services, a regular supply of food, and medical care."

At a press conference, Mr Fontaine said about two-thirds of Ukraine's 7.5 million children are currently displaced - 2.8 million internally displaced within the country and another two million who are refugees outside Ukraine, for a total of 4.8 million.

"In a matter of six weeks. It's just quite incredible," he said.

Also during the Security Council meeting, Ukraine's ambassador to the UN, Mr Sergiy Kyslytsya, accused Russia of transporting 120,000 Ukrainian children to Russia to be adopted.

Mr Fontaine said there was so far "no evidence" of such accusations, but that Unicef would investigate the matter.

Prior to the meeting, Ms Mona Juul, Norway's UN ambassador, flagged the war's impact on education for many Ukrainian children.

"According to the UN, 5.7 million children are affected by the nationwide closure of education facilities," she told reporters. "Children are innocent. Always. Stop killing them. Stop destroying their future. Stop the war," she added.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE