Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 16th June. UNICEF Haiti Representative Bruno Maes on Thursday said that 3 million children, the highest number on record, need humanitarian support in Haiti, where they face levels of violence that have exacerbated hunger and malnutrition in a country live in poverty and a resurgence of deadly cholera.
UNICEF Haiti Representative Bruno Maes said “Being a child in Haiti today is harsher and more dangerous than it ever has been in living memory. The threats and hardships children face are simply unimaginable. They desperately need protection and support,”.
The agency said children are in the crossfire, or directly targeted, as armed groups terrorize the population in their fight for territory and control, mainly in the capital Port-au-Prince, and increasingly in the neighbouring Artibonite region.
It noted that children are being killed or injured on their way to school while women and girls face extreme sexual violence.
It added the kidnappings for ransom have skyrocketed, as have attacks on schools. Tens of thousands have been displaced by the violence.
UNICEF said that hunger and life-threatening malnutrition are at record levels across the country, concentrated in the capital’s poorest and most insecure neighbourhoods, where some families are essentially trapped and cut off from essential services.
The number of children suffering from life-threatening malnutrition shot up by 30 per cent since last year, and nearly one in four suffers from chronic malnutrition.
UNICEF added that violence, poverty and despair are driving children towards armed groups
.Many children and young people in Port-au-Prince say they are being forced to join armed groups for protection or because it means food and income for the family.
Some said they provide a sense of identity and belonging.
The agency stressed that hunger and diseases such as cholera Haiti faces the constant threat of violent storms and earthquakes. In early June, heavy rains, which coincided with the start of the hurricane season, caused destructive and deadly flooding.
It was followed by a deadly earthquake just days later in Grand Anse.
It stressed that 3 million children are in need in Haiti this year, the highest number on record. But funding falls far short of the humanitarian needs.
UNICEF’s $246 million funding requirement for Haiti this year is less than 15 per cent funded.
UNICEF is scaling up its operations and expanding its presence in the field, despite the limited funding. Together with partners, the agency said it was delivering lifesaving support.
“Despite the massive challenges, humanitarian support has helped stave off catastrophic hunger and malnutrition. But far more is needed. The international community cannot turn its back on Haiti’s children in their hour of most profound need,” Mr. Maes added
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