GENEVA, April 7 (Xinhua) -- More than 200,000 children living in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk need urgent support to treat the psychological trauma of living through over three years of conflict, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Friday.
"The world has forgotten about this invisible crisis in eastern Ukraine, but hundreds of thousands of children are paying a heavy price, one that could last a lifetime without adequate support," UNICEF's Ukraine representative Giovanna Barberis said in a statement.
"We urgently need funds to reach these traumatized children," she added.
The UN agency warned that the girls and boys who live within 15 km of the "contact line," the front line dividing government and rebel held areas, live in chronic fear caused by intermittent shelling, unpredictable fighting as well as the danger posed by landmines and unexploded ordinance.
Many put their lives at risk by attending school, with figures showing that more than 740 schools have been damaged or destroyed since the conflict began in 2014.
Reports from parents, school personnel and psychologists suggest that children as young as three are displaying signs of trauma.
This includes severe anxiety, bed-wetting, nightmares, aggressive behavior, as well as social withdrawal from families and communities.
UNICEF is appealing for over 31 million U.S. dollars to support both children and their families affected by the conflict. Some 5.5 million U.S. dollars are to be used for child protection services and psychological support.
"Children should not have to live with the emotional scars from a conflict they had no part in creating," Barberis continued.
"Additional support is needed now so that young people in Donetsk and Luhansk can grow into healthy adults and rebuild their communities," she added.
