UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell considered the context as a humanitarian catastrophe with a devastating effect on the child population.

“Haiti’s children continue to suffer from an avalanche of multiple dangers, including terrible violence and critical levels of displacement,” she assured insisting on the need for a safe and protective environment and greater support and funding from the international community.

According to UNICEF, the context of displacement exposes children to surged risk of violence, sexual assault, exploitation and abuse, and even family separation.

Likewise, they often face disruption of access to services such as safe spaces, medical care, and safe water and sanitation.

Figures from the International Organization for Migration asserted that over 600,000 people remain outside their homes in Haiti, and half of them are minors.

Among other challenges, UNICEF describes as alarming the poor hygiene conditions in camps and improvised settlements that expose children to a greater risk of contracting diseases, including cholera.

In addition, school closures and financial constraints caused by ongoing violence have forced many to drop out of school.

In the absence of other means of survival or protection, children are increasingly forced to join these groups, in clear violation of their rights and in breach of international law. “The needs in Haiti continue to increase, as do the dangers for children,” the UNICEF chief stressed in that regard.

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