Gaza, Syria, Central African Republic, Ukraine...<br/> <br />These are just a few of the countries this year where armed conflict is wreaking havoc, affecting millions of children.<br/> <br />Christophe Boulierac, of the United Nations children's agency UNICEF, calls 2014 devastating.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (English) UNICEF SPOKESMAN, CHRISTOPHE BOULIERAC, SAYING:<br/> <br />"Children were maimed, killed, raped, tortured, and never in recent memory have been children subjected to such an extreme brutality."<br/> <br />UNICEF estimates that globally some 230 million children live in countries affected by armed conflict.<br/> <br />Fifteen million of them live in regions of major conflicts, like Central African Republic, where tit-for-tat sectarian violence displaced one fifth of the population.<br/> <br />The 50-day war in the Palestinian Gaza Strip left more than 500 children dead and more than 3,000 injured.<br/> <br />Not even the schools -- often used for shelter -- were spared.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (English) UNICEF SPOKESMA
