Catastrophic situation for children in Sri Lanka: UNICEF

With thousands of civilians fleeing the war zone in Sri Lanka,UNICEF has termed the situation to be 'catastrophic' for children.

As thousands of trapped Tamil civilians continued to flee Sri Lanka’s war zone,UNICEF on Tuesday warned of dreadful consequences for children,saying the worst was yet to come. With tens of thousands of children still caught amid growing hostilities between the LTTE and Sri Lankan troops,UNICEF said it was a catastrophic situation for the children.

“It is a catastrophic situation for children. We believe that the worst is yet to come,” Regional Chief of Communications,UNICEF (South Asia),Sarah Crowe said. The United Nations estimates that more than 1,00,000 people remain trapped in the middle of intense fighting on a 14 square kilometer strip of beach in Sri Lanka’s north.

Asking for immediate halt of the hostilities between LTTE and Sri Lankan government,Crowe said UNICEF has been asking for both parties to come an agreement,a lasting solution. “The LTTE needs to make sure that the civilians are allowed to leave the area freely. This has not been happening. Government forces need to exercise maximum restrain particularly against innocent civilians and children,” she said.