More than 400 children have been killed and hundreds injured in the violent unrest in Syria, the UN child agency said Tuesday in Geneva, dpa reported.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) also said it was receiving reports about children who had been arrested, tortured and sexually abused in detention.
Many of the victims were under 14 years of age and most of them were boys, according to the information that UNICEF has collected from aid workers working for other organizations in Syria.
"This must stop," UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said. "We urge the Syrian authorities to allow help to all those who need it desperately."
Attacks by government forces in Homs had created additional suffering for children, UNICEF said, adding that it was not allowed to work in the restive city.