Haiti children displaced by violence nearly double in a year, UNICEF says
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Spiraling violence in Haiti has displaced 680,000 children, nearly twice as many as a year ago, as armed groups tighten control and public services collapse, UNICEF said on Wednesday.
The agency estimates that over 6 million people - more than half the population, including 3.3 million children - now need humanitarian assistance.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
The surge in displacement, combined with deteriorating health and education services and rising gang violence, underscores the growing risks to millions of Haitians, particularly children.
KEY QUOTE
"Children in Haiti are experiencing violence and displacement at a terrifying scale," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "Each time they are forced to flee, they lose not only their homes but also their chance to go to school, and simply to be children."
BY THE NUMBERS
According to UNICEF, more than 1 million children face critical levels of food insecurity. Around 288,500 children under age 5 are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2025. Some 2.7 million people are living in areas controlled by armed groups, while internal displacement has climbed to 246,000 so far this year.
More than 1.3 million people have been forced from their homes, with children increasingly bearing the brunt of the crisis, the agency warned.
CONTEXT
Armed gangs have expanded their control across large parts of Haiti, overwhelming local police forces and pushing humanitarian groups to scale back operations.
Last month, the UN Security Council approved a U.S.-backed plan to expand an international security mission deployed to support Haitian authorities. The force, launched more than 15 months ago, remains short on funding, personnel and equipment.
WHAT'S NEXT
UNICEF is urging immediate international funding to expand life-saving aid, including shelter, healthcare, education and clean water. Its appeal remains severely underfunded, threatening critical programs for Haiti's children.
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