Children are the first victims during war.
Children are especially vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and trafficking during emergencies and armed conflicts. During times of crisis, UNICEF works to care for children who have been separated from their families, to create protective "child-friendly" spaces and to offer medical treatment and counseling.

In countries experiencing conflict and upheaval such as Yemen, Syria, Nigeria, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq, UNICEF protects children from military conscription, works to stop trafficking and helps child soldiers reintegrate into their communities.

UNICEF advocates to protect children and women in conflict from the systematic sexual violence that is increasingly used as a weapon of war and works to help victims of that abuse. Without protection from violence and exploitation, the basic survival and development of children at risk.