The agency interviewed more than 3,500 young people in early June. The majority of them believe that their rights are rarely or never respected.
“When I ask children if their rights are respected in Haiti, the answer is often a resounding ‘no,’” she said Samarre Tercier MarcellinusYouth lawyer for UNICEF Haiti.
“Children are abused, die from diseases and malnutrition that can be cured or prevented, and do not have access to quality education. This must change,” he added.
Despite this grim reality, a shocking majority of the population youth respondents to the UNICEF survey still believe that the future of children is brighter than the present.
Haiti continues to face a series of political, socio-economic and security crises. Rival gangs are battling for control of territory in the capital Port-au-Prince, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. This has further exacerbated poverty and severe hunger across the country.
© UNICEF/Joseph
Despite ongoing gang violence and a deep humanitarian crisis, Haitian youth remain optimistic.
Worsening crisis
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) Haiti added to the list of countries of “greatest concern due to the escalation of violence by armed groups,” in their latest outlook report for the months June to October 2024.
The FAO and WFP have also identified Haiti as a “hotspot of famine or risk of famine.” with more than five million people are now experiencing acute food insecurity, the highest since the 2010 earthquake.
The number of displaced people in Haiti has also increased sharply in recent months 362,000 in March to 580,000 currentlyThis is reported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
More than 100,000 left Port-au-Prince alone due to the deteriorating security situation.
This situation has had serious consequences for the children of Haiti. Of the 2,500 people killed or injured From January to March, many of them were children, UNICEF said.
‘Children are injured or killed every day’ Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF told the UN Security Councilin April. “Some are recruited or join armed groups out of sheer desperation.”
About 600,000 of the 1.6 million people facing acute food insecurity are children, and many schools have closed due to attacks, depriving thousands of children of their right to education.
Still optimistic
Despite the devastating circumstances, many young people remain hopeful. This is evident from UNICEF research24 percent are very hopeful and 41 percent are at least somewhat hopeful. Fourteen percent said they were not very hopeful, and only 10 percent said they were not hopeful at all.
When asked what would enable the country to change the most, 40 percent cited better access to education, 24 percent economic development and poverty reduction, 19 percent security across the country and seven percent improved health care.
© UNICEF/Joseph
Haitian youth cited education as a key factor in creating lasting change in their country.
More humanitarian action
Humanitarian efforts have intensified due to deteriorating conditions. WFP has delivered 43,600 hot meals to nearly 13,500 displaced people in Port-au-Prince since June 1. It has also allocated $1 million as part of its social protection and resilience activities to around 65,000 people across the country.
Joint efforts have also been made on behalf of Haitian authorities and national and international organizations to prepare Haitian citizens for the hurricane season that began on June 1.
