The UN children’s fund has warned that 3.6 million Iraqi children are at “serious risk” of death, injury, sexual violence, abduction and recruitment into armed groups.

Migrant children in northern France are forced into crime and prostitution on a daily basis to secure a place to stay in migrant camps or the promise of passage to Britain, the UN children’s agency said.

The UN children’s fund has issued a stark warning to Iraqi troops and Islamic State (IS) militants to spare thousands of youngsters trapped by the battle for Fallujah.