BARCELONA, Spain — They file into neighboring countries by the hundreds of thousands — refugees from Ukraine clutching children in one arm, belongings in the other. And they're being heartily welcomed, by leaders of countries like Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania.

A slim and chilling new book has ignited a public debate in France on the country's refusal to bring back hundreds of French children who were left in Kurdish camps in Syria.

Escalating conflict in Ukraine poses an immediate and growing threat to the lives and well-being of the country’s 7.5 million children. Humanitarian needs are multiplying – and spreading by the hour. Children have been killed. Children have been wounded. They are being profoundly traumatized by the violence all around them. Hundreds of thousands of people are on the move, and family members are becoming separated from their loved ones.

BUCHAREST, 28 February 2022 – Children and mothers are fleeing Ukraine extremely distressed after their families were torn apart as Russian military operations forced thousands of families from their homes to seek safety, Save the Children said today. Fighting has forced children and families to seek refuge in neighbouring countries, with more than 500,000 people displaced, according to the UN. Already, more than 67,000 people have crossed into Romania, some travelling on foot with minimal belongings.  

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians are pouring towards neighbouring countries to flee the Russian invasion. In the three days since the invasion began, more than 115,000 have crossed into Poland alone - some travelling for more than two days, others joining queues 15km (10 miles) long at border points. Those fleeing are mostly women and children, as all Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are being told to stay and fight - in some cases separated from their families. BBC correspondents met them at the borders.

Refugee children are arriving in countries bordering Ukraine and being whisked to safety by volunteers as their parents return to fight the Russian conflict.

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 25 лютого по 1 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 February 25 - March 1, 2022, compiled by Protection Cluster Ukraine.

The purpose of this analysis was to compare perspectives of frontline workers, administrators, and experts in child abuse and neglect in a system with mandatory reporting (Colorado, United States) and one without mandatory reporting (The Netherlands).

For most children, nationality is clear-cut. Most countries pass nationality down to children who are born to at least one of their citizens, while a smaller number grant nationality to any child born on their territory. But citizenship laws are by nature more exclusive than inclusive. For children whose parentage or family structure is not recognized by the state, obtaining nationality and related documentation can be a daunting challenge.