United Nations, Febuary 2 (RHC)-- A report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned that nearly three million children could be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2024 in Haiti as violence escalates in the country.
The report states that at least 170,000 children left their homes due to the lack of security and the most recent escalation, which represents an alarming double increase compared to last 2023. In the last two weeks, about 2,500 people, mostly women and children, were displaced after the clashes in the areas of Solino and Gabelliste, in Port-au-Prince, the capital of the Caribbean nation.
The situation places an enormous burden on the already meager resources of existing host communities and social services, while indices confirm the rapid deterioration of the situation and the profound impact of the crisis on the most vulnerable children and groups.
Children and their families are enduring relentless waves of brutal violence that day after day bring new horrors, the loss of loved ones, homes destroyed by fire and a pervasive shadow of fear, UNICEF’s representative in Haiti, Bruno Maes said.
"The population, deprived of necessities such as food, medical care and education, is plunged into a crisis that strips children of their very essence. A humanitarian catastrophe is taking place before our eyes," he added after a recent visit to three displacement camps in the capital.
In response, the UN Children's Fund and its partners provide multisectoral assistance in affected areas, particularly to separated children and those suffering from the consequences of violence. Support includes emergency assistance, ensuring access to medical and psychosocial care, as well as providing safe spaces where children can begin a process of healing and recovery.
To effectively meet humanitarian needs in the country by 2024, UNICEF requested $221.7 million. "We cannot stand idly by while unending suffering undermines the future of Haiti's children. Every moment of inaction further aggravates a crisis that is devouring their lives," Maes lamented.
The international community has a duty to bring hope and change to the lives of these children and to guarantee them a more promising and secure future, urged the UNICEF representative.
