More than a million Haitian children and adolescents – a quarter of the country’s child population – live in areas controlled by or under the influence of armed groups as violence spirals out of control, depriving families of food and vital services, according to Save the children.
Gang groups control about 90% of Port-au-Prince, and other urban areas have become “battlefields”, and the country is under a state of emergency until April 3.
At least 200,000 children and adolescents have been forced to leave their homes in the last two years, 96% due to violence or attacks.
In the past two weeks, the situation has worsened for the children, as many families have been forced to flee their homes and those trapped in the Port-au-Prince area are struggling to cope with the country’s food shortages.
About 277,000 boys and girls under the age of five in Haiti face malnutrition – nearly 40% of whom live in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan region – while gang violence clogs up critical food supplies, according to the latest figures from Integrated Classification of Food Safety Phase (CIF).
Children and adolescents living in areas affected by gang violence are also at risk of being recruited at gunpoint and being victims of sexual violence.
Basic medical and social services are on the verge of collapse in many departments of Haiti.
Most health centers are inaccessible due to violence, leaving thousands of children, adolescents and families without basic health services.
Chantal Sylvie Imbeault, director of Save the Children in Haiti, said: “The situation in Haiti has gone from bad to a real nightmare for millions of children and adolescents in the country. Gangs are turning urban areas into battlefields. Families are living in constant fear, unable to leave their homes or access fresh food, drinking water and emergency medical care. Children and adolescents cannot go to school and are exposed to the risk of being recruited by armed groups and of being victims of sexual violence.
“Every day, hundreds of children and adolescents across the country are forced to flee their homes. Many have been displaced multiple times and now face some of the most serious abuses and violations of their lives and well-being ever seen in Haiti’s history.
“This year, a record three million children and adolescents need urgent humanitarian assistance in Haiti. However, our staff and those of other humanitarian agencies are struggling to distribute aid as violence continues to rise in some parts of the country. This violence must end or children and adolescents and continue to pay the highest price.”
All parties must do everything to protect children and adolescents and respect international humanitarian law. Save the Children also calls on the international community to urgently increase humanitarian funding for the crisis in Haiti.
Source: Panama America
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
