An alarming 3.3 million children – the highest number ever recorded – are now in need of humanitarian assistance and cases of acute malnutrition, child recruitment, gender-based violence and other child rights violations are on the rise.
“Haiti’s children are being displaced at a rapid pace. painful pace and scale,” said UNICEF chief Catherine Russell. “Every time they are forced to flee, they not only lose their homes, but also their chance to go to school, to be safe and to just be children. »
“Unprecedented” trip
Decades of shocks ranging from deadly earthquakes to political fragility and economic chaos have led to one of the world’s most complex humanitarian emergencies in Haiti.
Armed gangs now control more than 85 percent of the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, as well as main roads, depriving families of food, health care and protection and forcing them to flee.
It is estimated that more than 2.7 million people, including 1.6 million women and children, live under the control of armed groups. The report warns that the scale of displacement is unprecedented as the number of shelter sites soared to 246 nationwide in the first half of this year alone.
Education under siege
In and around Port-au-Prince, classrooms have become targets and refuges. More than 1,600 schools were closed while 25 of them were occupied by gangs, depriving thousands of students of the opportunity to learn.
Another obstacle, besides gang violence and school closures, is the cost of education. Only 15 to 20 percent of schools are public, and even those still require families to pay for textbooks and uniforms, according to the report.
A call to action
UNICEF has treated more than 86,000 children suffering from wasting – a life-threatening form of malnutrition – and is providing health care to 117,000 people, providing clean water to 140,000 people, among other actions.
Yet the agency’s work remains seriously underfunded, and without an immediate infusion of resources, essential programs will be seriously limited, the agency says.
“The children of Haiti cannot wait,” warned Ms. Russell. “Like any child, they deserve the chance to be safe, healthy and live in peace.. It is up to us to act now for the children of Haiti.
A mother holds her daughter in a makeshift shelter at a school after fleeing attacks by armed groups in Port-au-Prince.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
