In Syria, unexploded ordinance is the deadliest threat faced by children today – a legacy of the country’s 14-year war – the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.

Speaking from Damascus, the UN agency’s Communication Manager for Emergencies, Ricardo Pires, said more than 300,000 mines are still spread across the country, according to estimates. 

“The threat is very real for children,” he told UN News’s Daniel Johnson. Some parts of country are “fully contaminated with these deadly devices,” while kids are simply unaware of the dangers – which can “end in tragedy.”

Here’s Mr. Pires now, explaining why it is so important for the international community to take urgent action to prevent more deaths and life-changing injuries.