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New upsurge of violence threats the delivery of basic services for thousands of children in Haiti

Pays
Haïti
Sources
UNICEF
Date de publication
Origine
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Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 24 September 2022 - Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by the recent wave of civil unrest and violence in Haiti. Children are caught in this crossfire.

In Cite Soleil, the largest urban poor area of the capital, 20 per cent of the children under five are suffering from malnutrition. This new cycle of violence endangers their lives because UNICEF cannot reach them with lifesaving supplies. In the Southern Peninsula of Haiti, more than 250,000 children still do not have access to adequate learning, more than a year after a powerful earthquake destroyed or damaged most schools.

Access to potable water is often disrupted. Access to basic food commodities has also been rendered difficult due to closed distribution centers and barricaded roads.

Children are subjected to violence on their way to school, teachers and school managers are being threatened for extorsion, schools are being ransacked by gangs.

Amid this challenging environment, UNICEF stands in the frontline for support the humanitarian need for children.

UNICEF’s teams on the ground continue to respond to the children needs in Haiti by access to social and health services, providing safe water, by restoring access in affected communities and distributing hygiene kits in health centers, supporting the provision of treatment of acute malnutrition through promotion, protection and support of infant and young child feeding practices, deworming, immunization and providing psychosocial support.

The crisis in Haiti requires an unprecedented and committed humanitarian response. UNICEF calls on the international community to redouble its support for Haitian children and ensure women and children have access to basic services.

In Haiti today, a child who is left out of the classroom is a child who is one step closer to the gangs. And there are hundreds of thousands in this situation right now in Haiti.

In the latest round of violence, 60 per cent of schools assessed by UNICEF have been found to be victims of acts of vandalism. Additionally, UNICEF’s teams have observed the occupation of schools and classrooms by internal displaced persons or by armed groups which has further reduced access to education for many children and young people who become more vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups along with sexual and physical abuse.

At the end of 2021, UNICEF requested US$97 million through the 2022 Humanitarian Appeal for Children to reach 950,000 people, including 520,000 children in Haiti. To date, UNICEF still urgently needs US$64.6 million to reach over half a million children with humanitarian support in Haiti.

Unless this financial investment is made in the coming weeks and months, the crisis is likely to spiral further. UNICEF has seen this before in Haiti. But it’s not too late to revert the trend. By investing now, every Haitian child can have the opportunity to learn, grow and strive and the entire nation can be put back on track. The clock is ticking.

Media contacts

Ndiaga Seck
Chef de la Communication
UNICEF
Tel: +50937446199
Tel: +50928123076
Email: nseck@unicef.org

Gessika Thomas
Communication officer
Tel: +50947503125
Email: gethomas@unicef.org