Italy's parliament on Thursday approved a law that allows unaccompanied refugee children to stay in the country and be protected from mistreatment.

"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.