*Children in Haiti face hunger, displacement, and violence, which includes recruitment into armed gangs, according to a UNICEF report presented at a United Nations meeting.
According to the Los Angeles Times, over 1.5 million children have lost access to education, and 365,000 are among the 700,000 displaced Haitians living in overcrowded camps without clean water or sanitation. Two million people are facing food shortages, and the World Food Programme is increasing aid but struggles with funding shortages. The crisis is fueled by political instability, poverty, and gang control over much of the capital. U.N. leaders have called for urgent global action to protect Haiti’s children, as reported by the Miami Herald.
The recruitment of minors into gangs has surged by 70% over the past year, with children now accounting for 30% to 50% of gang members, according to UNICEF. Sexual violence against minors has also increased by 1,000%.
“Haiti is one of the worst places on the planet to be a child,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said, noting that the most vulnerable continue to experience “unprecedented levels of lawlessness and brutality at the hands of the armed groups.”
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Maria Isabel Salvador, the U.N. special representative for Haiti, said, “The intertwined crises are existential threats to society itself, with children paying the heaviest price.”
Initiatives to tackle the crisis include UNICEF’s recent campaign, spearheaded by Haitian artist Jean Jean Roosevelt, which uses art and music to discourage child recruitment. However, officials emphasize that long-term funding along with international aid efforts are critical to making a meaningful impact on children’s lives.
“There’s more we can do, and we must do better,” said Ulrika Richardson, the U.N.’s humanitarian coordinator. “Without immediate action, the situation for Haiti’s children will worsen.”
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