(MENAFN- QNA) The number of displaced people in Iraq could rise to 10 million by the end of the year, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said, warning that the past year has seen a 75 per cent increase in grave violations against children.
Many basic services have collapsed, a year since Daesh group launched their offensive in central Iraq, Colin McInnes, UNICEF representative for Iraq, said.
He said that nearly 3,000 people a week are fleeing western Anbar province.
"These people require water, they require hygiene, they require basic shelter, they require basic food items. The funding situation is desperate; without adequate funding in the coming weeks we will not be able to provide water to people who are displacing." he added.
Youngsters are particularly vulnerable, with a "400 per cent increase" in violence against them in the last 12 months, including maiming and abductions.
In an appeal for what he called "barebones funding," UNICEF said it needed $48 million for the next six months.
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