MORE THAN 3.6 MILLION REFUGEES
FLED UKRAINE, NEARLY HALF OF
THEM CHILDREN.
AND MILLIONS MORE ARE DISPLACED
WITHIN UKRAINE'S BORDERS.
BACK WITH US TONIGHT IS JAMES
ELDERS, A SPOKESMAN FOR UNICEF,
A UN AGENCY THAT HELPS CHILDREN
WORLDWIDE.
JAMES, IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING
THAT YOU WERE IN A MAKESHIFT
BUNKER UNDER A HOSPITAL IN LVIV,
JUST YESTERDAY, WITH DOCTORS,
WITH PREGNANT WOMEN.
WHAT WERE YOU HEARING FROM
PEOPLE THERE?
>> IT WAS A REALLY
GUT-WRENCHING SCENARIO.
WE HAVE ANOTHER SET OF AIR
RAIDS THAT OF COURSE --
EXPECTANT MOMS HAVE NO CHOICE
BUT TO PROTECT THOSE UNBORN
CHILDREN.
YOU'VE GOT MOTHERS WHO ARE
SEVEN OR EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT,
AND MANY HAVE GIVEN BIRTH TO
PREMATURE BABIES BECAUSE OF THE
STRESS.
THEY ARE NOT FROM WHERE I AM
HERE.
THEY ARE FROM OTHER PARTS OF
UKRAINE.
NIGHT AFTER NIGHT, MORNING
AFTER MORNING, THREE IN THE
MORNING, THREE IN THE AFTERNOON.
THEY GO DOWN WITH THE WEIGHT OF
THE PREGNANCY.
IT'S NOT A BUNKER, IT'S A
BASEMENT.
IT'S GOT DIRT FLOORS, IT'S GOT
MAKESHIFT SURGICAL EQUIPMENT
THERE AND THEY SIT WAITING FOR
THE AIR RAID SIRENS TO GO.
THEY ARE SCARED, THEY --
THIS WONDERFUL MOMENT HAS
TURNED INTO A HORROR MOMENT.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY WILL
BE, ULTIMATELY, WITH THEIR
CHILDREN BECAUSE THEY'RE LIVING
IN MAKESHIFT HOUSING AS WELL.
AND THEY ARE BRINGING BABIES
INTO A TIME OF WAR.
SO, THIS IS A REALITY FOR SO
MANY OF THOSE WOMEN RIGHT NOW.
AND IT'S A COMPLETE
CONTRADICTION TO, OF COURSE,
THE BEAUTIFUL MOMENT THEY HOPE
FOR WHEN THEY WERE FINALLY
GOING TO MAKE THAT LITTLE
PERSON THEY'VE BEEN CARRYING
AROUND --
>> IT'S ESPECIALLY CRUEL, YES.
MEANWHILE, UNICEF HAS BEEN
SOUNDING THE ALARM ABOUT THE
HIGH-RISK OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
AXIOS REPORTS THAT MORE THAN
500 UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN
WAITED FIVE LEAVING UKRAINE AND
ENTERING ROMANIA AS OF MARCH
17TH, BUT THE ACTUAL FIGURE IS
LIKELY MUCH HIGHER, ACCORDING
TO UNICEF.
SO, WHAT KIND OF SAFEGUARDS
SHOULD COUNTRIES HAVE IN PLACE
TO PROTECT THESE CHILDREN?
>> IT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
HE SAID AT THE START, 1.8
MILLION CHILDREN HAVE BECOME
REFUGEES IN THIS COUNTRY AND IN
JUST A MONTH, UNFORTUNATELY,
IT'S ALL FOR ANNIVERSARY OF, IF
YOU WILL, WHEN THE WAR STARTED.
BUT 1.8 MILLION CHILDREN, IT'S
BASICALLY 50 CHILDREN WHO HAVE
BECOME REFUGEES, EVERY SINGLE
MINUTE FROM THIS COUNTRY.
SINCE THE WAR BEGAN. THAT INCREDIBLE OUTLOOKS MEANS.
THAT INCREDIBLE OUTLOOKS MEANS.
THAT THE ONLY SAFE PLACES WHERE
THE CHILD TO BE THE OUT OF THE
COUNTRY.
SO, THE PRESENCE THAT BORDERS
HAS TO BE TRANSFORMED TO A
PROTECTION PRESENCE.
GOVERNMENTS NEED TO UNDERSTAND
THE RISKS, THAT UNICEF SHARES
MESSAGES WIDELY ABOUT WHAT TO
LOOK AFTER.
BUT IT'S A TIME OF CHAOS, FOR,
EXAMPLE WITH SO MANY PEOPLE
OFFERING LIFTS TO ABSOLUTE
STRANGERS.
WE NEED TO STOP THAT.
IF 99.9% OF VOLUNTEERS ARE WARM
HEARTED, THAT TINY FRACTION CAN
MEAN HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN
TRAFFICKED.
SO, WE NEED A BETTER PRESENCE
AT BORDERS, A BETTER PROTECTION
PRESENCE, MORE POLICE, WHETHER
AT BORDERS OR TRAIN STATIONS
WHERE PEOPLE ARE ENDING UP, AND
JUST GREATER INFORMATION, AND
THE FAMILIES, UNFORTUNATELY,
THERE HARROWING JOURNEY IS NOT
OVER, JUST WHEN THEY LEAVE
UKRAINE.
>> JAMES, NATO LEADERS ARE
MEETING IN WHAT IS NOW A MATTER
OF HOURS, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT
THE MILITARY OPTION THAT WILL
HAVE ON THE TABLE.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT ARMS, WE
TALK ABOUT SANCTIONS, WHAT IS
THE CONVERSATION YOU WANT THOSE
LEADERS TO BE HAVING ABOUT THE
REFUGEE CRISIS THAT IS
UNFOLDING?
>> I THINK THE KEY PART IS
CLEARLY TWO THINGS.
THE ONE HAS TO STOP.
I KNOW THAT CAN SOUND GLIB,
GIVEN WHERE WE ARE.
BUT IF THAT IS, FOR WHATEVER
REASON, NOT POSSIBLE, THEN AT
THE VERY LEAST, THESE
INDISCRIMINATE ATTACKS ON
HOSPITALS, ON SCHOOLS, AND
DOZENS OF HOSPITALS, AND
POTENTIALLY HUNDREDS OF SCHOOLS,
ALL PLACES THAT SHOULD BE SAFE
FOR CHILDREN, AND ARE NOT, THEN
THEY NEED TO --
AND NEED TO BRING IN REALITY TO
HUMAN DETERRING QUARTERS.
IT SEEMS IN THE LAST YEARS,
PARTICULARLY NOW, THAT WARFARE
HAS CHANGED.
AND THAT FRONT LINES ARE WHERE
LARGE CIVILIAN POPULATIONS ARE.
THAT HAS TO END.
AND ORGANIZATIONS LIKE UNICEF
AND MANY OTHER AGENCIES NEED
THAT SAFE PASSAGE IN TO GET,
SAY, CRITICAL --
INTO MARIUPOL AND MANY OTHER
CITIES UNDER SIEGE.
UNLESS AND WHILST WE ARE DOING
THAT, MEDICAL SUPPLIES AND
WATER AND ALL THOSE THINGS THAT
UNICEF IS ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
WHILST WE ARE DOING THAT TO
CITIES UNDER SIEGE, THE
FEELINGS NEED TO BE ALLOWED TO
GET OUT.
BUT WE KEEP HEARING ABOUT THIS
AGAIN, IT'S NOT BEING RESPECTED,
TO THE HORRENDOUS DETRIMENT OF