The spiral of violence in Haiti has left an average of five children dead or injured per week in the first half of 2024, according to Save the Children, an NGO that “runs out of words” to express “the unimaginable suffering” of children in the Caribbean country.
The UN is aware of at least 131 children who have been victims of violence in the first half of 2024, either due to attacks by armed groups or clashes between these gangs and the security forces. The organization itself assumes that this is only a conservative statistical estimate.
The director of Save the Children in Haiti, Chantal Sylvie Imbeault, has warned that “behind these horrible figures there are real children.” “Entire neighborhoods have been devastated, kidnappings and sexual attacks abound and children are directly targeted or caught in the crossfire,” she lamented.
The international mission supported by the UN is called upon to contain this violence, but Save the Children has recalled on Tuesday that this deployment, led by Kenya, can also entail “new risks”, among other things because there are also children directly involved in armed activity.
“It is crucial that there are immediate and forceful measures for the protection of children to prevent further suffering and safeguard vulnerable lives,” it stressed.
