Dirty Water is Deadlier than Bullets. Demand Clean Water for Children in War-Torn Countries!

Children under five who live in conflict zones are 20 times more likely to die from waterborne diseases than from direct violence as a result of war.

Deliberate attacks on water and sanitation are attacks on vulnerable children.

Perpetrators of conflict are increasingly using water as a weapon of war.

In the Syrian Arab Republic, for example, attacks on water networks cut services for weeks at a time, forcing children to fetch unsafe water in extreme temperatures. Many children died as a result.

Unsafe water puts children in extreme danger – exposing them to immediate and lifelong threats, including potentially deadly waterborne diseases, as well as physical and mental stunting.

Water, sanitation and hygiene services should never be interrupted or politicised: access to safe water is a human right, not a privilege.

UNICEF is working around the clock to ensure that children living in conflict zones can access safe clean water. But to do that we need your help.

Please sign now to pledge your support for vulnerable children and demand more be done to help ensure every child worldwide can access sustainable clean water.