Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, highlighted the impact of extreme levels of brutality and lawlessness on children across the country.
“Children are being exploited by armed gangs in Haiti and we are seeing some worrying recent trends, particularly the use of sexual violence by gangs, including rape and gang rape, as weapons of war.”
“I call on all parties to ensure that children are protected from violence, including sexual violenceand conflict and they do not engage in hostile activities,” she added.
Political crisis
Meanwhile, political instability continues to plague the Caribbean island nation as members of the transitional management council established in April removed interim Prime Minister Garry Conille from office amid concerns about information about internal conflicts, replacing him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime.
UN Secretary General António Guterres Calling on all Haitian stakeholders to cooperate constructively to advance the political transition, his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, told journalists at a regular news conference in New York.
“Overcoming their differences and putting the country first remains important to achieving that goal”, Mr. Dujarric said.
Mr. Conille, a former UN official, was appointed interim Prime Minister in June.
Deep impact
The crisis in Haiti also disrupted essential services, including education and health care, leaving more than 300,000 children out of school.
Gangs have targeted hospitals and schools in the capital Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. Schools have become temporary shelters for thousands of people displaced by violence.
This increase reflects the acute vulnerability of adolescents in a country where approximately 2.7 million people, including 1.6 million women and children, live in underserved areas. gang control.
Alarmingly, children under the age of 18 make up an estimated one-third to one-half of gang members.
Protect children
Ms. Gamba called on all parties and influential people to “do everything possible to prevent these serious violations against children” and to immediately hand them over to civil child protection officials.
She emphasized the urgent need for safe and unhindered humanitarian access to deliver vital services, and called for increased voluntary contributions to the United Nations-managed trust fund , supporting the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to enhance Haiti’s security and meet humanitarian needs. .
MSS mission, okay reauthorized by the United Nations Security Council in September for another year, considered key to stabilizing the country. However, it lacks sufficient police personnel and funding, limiting its operations.
Humanitarian crisis
The humanitarian impact of violence goes beyond immediate threats.
In October, armed clashes in the Solino and Tabarre neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, as well as the adjacent Arcahaie district, led to mass displacement, adding to existing aid challenges. Have.
Estimates indicate that more than 12,600 people were displaced in Solino and Tabarre alone, many forced into makeshift shelters. United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that 58% of these displaced people have found refuge in 14 locations, including new shelters established after the outbreak of violence.
Arcahaie saw a parallel wave of evacuations, with more than 21,000 people forced to flee their homes.
