Portugal Colonial - 'Daily struggle for survival' for Haiti children, UN report says

"A lot has happened in my life, if I weren't courageous, I wouldn't be here today," the girl, who had been displaced multiple times, told the UN children's agency.

An estimated 680,000 children have been displaced by gang violence in the crisis-wracked Caribbean country, nearly double the number from a year ago, UNICEF said, urging the international community to step up and help.

"Haiti is at a breaking point, we need to make clear: this generation cannot keep waiting for help to come," Roberto Benes, UNICEF regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, told AFP in an interview from Haiti. "We cannot let a generation be forgotten."

In 2024, the UN verified over 2,269 "grave violations" against 1,373 children, including 213 who were killed, 138 injured, 566 victims of sexual violence (including 406 rapes and 160 gang rapes), and 302 who were recruited by gangs.

The number of violations is five times higher than the year before and "likely represents only a fraction of the true scale, as most cases go unreported in areas under the control of armed groups," the report said.

- 'Violence and exploitation' -

UNICEF estimates that 2.7 million people, including 1.6 million women and children, now live in gang-controlled areas, nearly a quarter of the population.

In these areas, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince, which is almost entirely controlled by gangs, many children have witnessed killings or been forced to flee in the middle of the night. Fear of retaliation prevents survivors and witnesses from speaking out.

"For countless children, trauma is a daily reality, and unless protection services are urgently restored, an entire generation risks growing up not only in fear but also under relentless exposure to violence and exploitation," the report said.

The number of children displaced by violence -- sometimes multiple times -- has nearly doubled over the past year to more than 680,000, out of a total of more than 1.3 million displaced people.

These children sometimes find themselves alone, taking refuge in abandoned buildings, schools, or makeshift shelters.

Conditions are crowded and sanitation is poor, creating perfect conditions for outbreaks of infectious diseases like cholera.

In 2025, more than 3.3 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance, compared to three million last year. One million are food insecure.

"For Haiti's children, these compounding crises mean a daily struggle for survival -- shuttered schools, hospitals overwhelmed, and childhoods cut short by violence, neglect, exploitation, and hunger," the report said.

- Gang recruitment -

With more than 1,600 schools directly affected by violence and more than 1,080 completely closed in 2025, at least one in four Haitian children is out of school -- a situation that increases the risk of youngsters being forcibly recruited by gangs.

"Children as young as 10 are being forced to carry weapons, serve as lookouts or for other dangerous tasks," UNICEF said.

The UN Security Council last month adopted a resolution to transform a UN-backed security mission in Haiti into a larger, full-fledged force with military troops.

The new force can now have a maximum of 5,500 uniformed personnel, including police officers and soldiers, unlike the current mission, which is just law enforcement.

P.Queiroz--PC