New York, March 24 (RHC-SPA) - The UN children's fund (UNICEF), said Thursday that, 86.7 million children, under the age of seven, have known no life outside of conflict.

UNICEF head for early childhood development, Pia Britto, said in a news release: “Security, family, friends, play and routine - exactly the items crucial for children to develop learning skills - are largely lost in such difficult circumstances.”

The UNICEF official warned that “growing up in a conflict zone, where they experience traumatic events and live under constant stress, children risk impairment to important brain development, leading to possible permanent emotional damage.”