Traffickers are targeting parentless children on the Ukraine-Poland border, says a group evacuating orphanages in the war zone.

The war in Ukraine has displaced more than 2 million people as they flee their country to find refuge. Roughly half of those displaced are children. Among them, many are unaccompanied or have been separated from their families. Children on the move in and outside of Ukraine are at heightened risk of violence, exploitation and abuse. This guidance, produced by the UNICEF team, outlines how authorities and aid workers can help keep children displaced by the war in Ukraine safe from trafficking and other forms of exploitation and abuse.

Кластер захисту координує заходи захисту та виступає за вдосконалення політики та законодавства, що стосуються людей, які постраждали від конфлікту. Він також займається розбудовою потенціалу та надає рекомендації щодо включення захисту у всі заходи гуманітарного реагування. Це знімок захисту для України за період з 6 по 9 березня 2022 року, складений Protection Cluster Ukraine.

The Protection Cluster coordinates the protection response and advocates for the improvement of policies and legislation affecting conflict-affected people. It also engages in capacity building and provides guidance on mainstreaming protection into all humanitarian response activities. This is the Protection snapshot for Ukraine for the period 6 - 9 March 2022, compiled by Protection Cluster Ukraine.

This report is produced by OCHA Ukraine in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 3 p.m. (EET) 7 March to 3 p.m. (EET) 8 March

In the current protection crisis unfolding in Ukraine, humanitarian actors must pay particular attention to those who are most at risk of threats to safety and rights violations – including women, children, older people, and people who are blind and/or deaf, persons with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities, those who have mobility limitations, and persons with high support needs. In this brief, the Global Protection Cluster calls on all parties to the conflict and humanitarian actors to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in Ukraine.

The following messages reflect priority protection issues and gaps in Ukraine, based on monitoring and analysis conducted by the Ukraine Protection Cluster and its regular Protection Snapshots. Additional contributions were made by the Global Protection Cluster’s Advocacy and Human Rights Engagement Task Teams. This document will be adapted while reflecting rapidly developing protection risks.

Just over 2 million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia began its attack 12 days ago, NPR reports Tuesday per a United Nations tracker. Of the 2 million refugees, at least half are children, reports UNICEF. The 2 million total represents about 4 to 4.5 percent of Ukraine's population, notes NPR and Politico.

KYIV, 8 March 2022 – An estimated 800,000 children had fled Ukraine in recent weeks, as the total number of refugees fleeing Ukraine reached 2 million people today. A growing number of these children are arriving on their own, without family support, in an escalating child protection crisis.

Hundreds of Ukraine’s Roma people face an uncertain future in Moldova’s capital Chisinau as many are not documented.