United Nations: Haiti people are at the heart of a perfect storm of suffering, and children bear the weight of the crisis

In his speech before the Security Council meeting on the situation in Haiti, Antonio Guterres said that the people of Haiti “In the heart of a perfect storm of suffering” The children bear the weight of the crisis.

He warned that children in Haiti are kidnapped, killed, recruited and exploited, and are exposed to horrific sexual violence, including mass rape.

He added: “Haiti is still shameful and suffers from a sharp deficiency in financing.”.

He warned that more than 1.7 million people are facing the risk of not receiving any assistance at all, adding: “This is not a financing gap, but rather an emergency related to life or death.”.

Signs of hope and fragile gains

The Secretary -General of the United Nations talked about the fragility of the political situation in the country, but he said: “There are emerging signs of hope”Expressing optimism about the increasing cooperation between the President of the Transitional Presidential Council, Laurent Saint Sir, and Prime Minister Alex Didier Facebook, who leads consultations to advance the political process.

He pointed out that protecting these fragile gains requires decisive and coordinated international security support, welcome to the efforts of the members of the Security Council to enhance the multinational security support mission.

The Security Council urged the movement without delaying and delegating an international force, supported by the United Nations through logistical and operational support, and a predictable financing.

He also said it “Security measures must be accompanied by increasing pressure on those who fuel violence.”.

Guterres said: “By unity within the country, and the determination of this council, the Haiti people can get out of this ordeal, begin to turn difficulties into hope, and restore its future.”.

A significant increase in violations

Catherine Russell, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Organization (UNICEF) warned that “One of the specific features of the conflict in Haiti is the outbreak of children’s rights violations.”He cited the annual Secretary -General’s report on children and armed conflicts, who showed that Haiti is ranked among the five most countries in the world witnessing serious violations against children in armed conflicts.

She said in her surname that the United Nations had been achieved last year, from more than 2000 serious violations against children in Haiti, an increase of approximately 500% compared to the previous year.

She added that the most anxious thing is “Increase in child recruitment by approximately 700%, in addition to an increase of 54% in cases of murder and distortion”.

Continuous work despite the challenges

The UN official highlighted the prevention of the arrival of humanitarian aid, which rose from five incidents in 2023 to 728 incidents last year.

Russell said: “By preventing them from reaching (human), armed groups undermine the ability of humanitarian authorities to reach 1.6 million children and women in areas under their control.”.

She pointed to the detention of 6 UNICEF employees last month by an armed group, and then their release, stressing that “Humanitarian workers are not goals, and they should never be so.”.

Despite these challenges, Russell reported that UNICEF has dealt with 21,000 children of severe wasting this year, provided health care to 117,000 people, and provided 140,000 people with safe water.

The UN official called on the Security Council to ask the armed groups to release children, stop attacks on schools and hospitals, and allow humanitarian aid safely.