UNICEF Outraged by the Situation of Over 680,000 Displaced Children in Haiti

In a report released on Wednesday, October 8, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported the displacement of nearly 680,000 children across the country due to gang violence. According to the Fund, this figure represents a 60% increase since March 2024, reaching a level of displacement "never before recorded in the country's recent history". The UN agency expresses concern about the increase in sexual violence, forced recruitment into armed groups, and the disintegration of family and social structures around young people. Considerable Obstacles to Learning In overcrowded shelters and displacement sites, children lack access to textbooks, educational materials, or qualified teachers. Many adolescent girls completely abandon their schooling for safety reasons, because they have to care for relatives, or due to the absence of menstrual hygiene products. Children's Health and Nutrition Threatened Long-Term In many displacement sites and areas controlled by armed groups, water supply and sanitation infrastructure has collapsed. Over 1 million children do not have regular access to safe water, which increases the risk of waterborne diseases. Faced with this overwhelming situation, the organization calls for urgent mobilization from the Haitian authorities, as well as the international community. Objective: to protect children, restore security, and ensure minimal access to humanitarian aid for displaced families. UNICEF calls on the international community to make children in Haiti a priority, to act with the urgency this crisis demands, and to provide the necessary resources. The tools and resources to help Haiti emerge from this crisis exist. "It is time to use them for every child. "If no firm action is taken, the future of an entire generation is at risk," fears the Fund. Gedeon Delva