Italy will not deport unaccompanied refugee children

“This is a civilized choice for the protection and integration of those who are in a difficult situation," Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni wrote on Twitter.

The law is regarded as a first among the EU countries.

The UN’s children agency said March 13 that child deaths increased 20 percent in war-torn Syria in 2016, making it the “worst year” since 2014.

UNICEF said in a statement that at least 652 children were killed in Syria in 2016 -- 255 of them in or near schools.

“The most vulnerable among Syria’s children are the 2.8 million in hard-to-reach areas, including 280,000 children living under siege, almost completely cut off from humanitarian aid,” the statement said.

Approximately 6 million children depend on humanitarian assistance and millions have been displaced and, more than 2.3 million are living as refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, the statement added.

Anadolu Agency