Actor Ewan McGregor has travelled to northern Iraq in his role as Unicef Ambassador and has said more must be done to "protect the extraordinary number of children who have been torn from their homes by violent conflict".
The Trainspotting star met families at the Debaga camp to discover how the conflicts in Iraq and Syria have affected the lives of children who have been forced to uproot their lives.
READ MORE: Ewan McGregor gets in on the Trainspotting Live! joke with a tweet referencing his film
The father-of-four, 45, also spent time with displaced Iraqi families and Syrian refugees who are living in camps in the nearby Erbil area.
The ongoing unrest in Iraq and Syria has left tens of thousands of children separated from their families, forced into work at a young age, recruited into fighting or killed.
During his visit, McGregor saw how Unicef is helping those fleeing IS-held city Mosul by giving them supplies of water and food as well as access to healthcare and child protection services.
He said that "the world is facing an unprecedented refugee crisis" as he pressed for more to be done to address the issue.
Photo: Unicef
The actor said: "Children uprooted by conflict can find themselves alone, without family and in grave danger.
"No child should be alone. Many of the children I've met in Iraq have been forced to flee their homes, risking their lives on dangerous journeys and have been exposed to unimaginable horrors.
"One girl I met, called Mirna, told me how her family slept in a disused, half-constructed shopping mall for over a year.
READ MORE: Ewan McGregor gets in on the Trainspotting Live! joke with a tweet referencing his film
"The community donated food, clothes and supplies to her family and really came together to welcome displaced people."
The Scottish actor said that "this act of humanity should be replicated everywhere, especially on our own doorsteps".
He added: "It's up to us to tell our friends, our neighbours and our governments that refugees are welcome."
McGregor has been a Unicef Ambassador since 2004 and Peru, India, Nepal and the Congo are among the countries he has visited with the charity.
READ MORE: Ewan McGregor gets in on the Trainspotting Live! joke with a tweet referencing his film
Unicef UK executive director Mike Penrose said: "For children affected by conflict, simply ensuring that they are with their family can provide a small sense of stability and normality in times of huge trauma and upheaval."
Around 3.6 million children in Iraq are at risk of being abducted and recruited into armed groups, and face the constant threats of death, injury and sexual violence.
September will see world leaders come together to discuss the global refugee crisis and Unicef said it is keen for a resolution to bring more help and protection to children forced to flee their homes.
Unicef UK is also calling on the UK Government to take urgent action to reunite unaccompanied refugee children with their families.
READ MORE: Ewan McGregor gets in on the Trainspotting Live! joke with a tweet referencing his film
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