Manoach Presna, director of the Foundation, lamented the scenario experienced by Haitian children amid a surging food and health issues.

In 2023, as many as 207,000 Haitian children were reported living in domestic servitude, 113,000 were forced to displace as a result of domestic gang violence, and 500 others were repatriated unaccompanied at the Haitian-Dominican border, the Haiti Libre newspaper reported.

Children have been raped, kidnapped or killed during nonstop attacks by armed gangs in several parts of the country. Hospital access is so hard for them to achieve, Presna stated.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on the other hand, called for prioritizing the safety of children in Haiti, where violence remains.

“We urge everyone to ensure protection for children in Haiti, whatever their situation. Protecting children must be top-priority,” according to a statement.

Take all necessary measures to prevent them from being exposed to violent events that could endanger their safety and lives.

UNICEF is closely monitoring the situation and is doing everything necessary to guarantee prevention and care services at all levels.

Haiti has long been facing up political turmoil mixed with poverty, health, social and institutional crises, rising malnutrition rates, disasters and armed violence that left more than three million children in need of humanitarian aid, UNICEF recalled.

The longer this situation continues – UNICEF warns – the greater the risk of irreversible physical and mental damage to children’s well-being.

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