The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warns that there is an alarming spike in kidnappings of children and women in Haiti, with nearly 300 cases confirmed in the first six months of the year. In a statement Monday, UNICEF said this is almost equal to the total number of cases documented in 2022, and close to three times more than in 2021.
The UN agency said in most instances, children and women are forcefully taken by armed groups and used for financial or tactical gains. The victims who manage to return home grapple with deep physical and psychological scars, possibly for many years.
“The stories we are hearing from UNICEF colleagues and partners on the ground are shocking and unacceptable," said UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Gary Conille.
"Women and children are not commodities. They are not bargaining chips. And they must never be exposed to such unimaginable violence. The growing trend in kidnappings and abductions is extremely worrisome, threatening both the people of Haiti and those who have come to help.”
UNICEF urgently calls for the immediate release and safe return of all those who have been kidnapped in Haiti.
In addition to children and women being taken from the streets and exposed to deep trauma and distress, reports indicate that local healthcare systems are teetering on the brink of collapse and schools are under attack, keeping civilians under constant terror.
According to the UN agency, the increase in violence, looting, road blockades, and the pervasive presence of armed groups severely obstruct humanitarian efforts, making it difficult to deliver much-needed aid to affected communities.
The humanitarian situation in the country is increasingly grim and likely to deteriorate even further. The United Nations estimates that more than 5.2 million people (46 percent of the population) require humanitarian aid this year. Among those in need are nearly 3 million children – the highest number on record.
Kidnappings, killings and gang violence have worsened the economic situation and increased insecurity, particularly in the capital. Gangs control or influence 80 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince. They also control strategic access routes in the country and have expanded their criminal activities throughout Haiti. Armed groups commit serious abuses against the population, including large-scale sexual violence, forcing entire communities to flee.
In the first three months of 2023, a total of 846 people were killed, 393 injured and 395 kidnapped in gang-related incidents that took place mainly in Port-au-Prince, according to information gathered by the UN Integrated Office in Haiti.
In the month of April alone, more than 600 people were killed in a new wave of extreme violence that hit several districts across the capital. Haiti has also seen an alarming increase in mob killings and lynchings of suspected gang members, with at least 164 such murders documented in April.
At least 165,000 people are currently displaced by gang-related violence in the capital.
In October 2022, Haiti's government requested the UN Security Council authorize an international force to assist the national police in eliminating the threat from the gangs that are terrorizing the population and preventing their access to food, clean water, education and many basic services.
The request was supported by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. The UN Security Council has discussed the matter but has not made a decision.
In late July, Kenya offered to lead a multinational police force to help stabilize Haiti. The Kenyan Government said it will formalize its offer once the UN Security Council adopts a resolution with a mandate for the non-UN force. Meanwhile, the governments of the Caribbean countries of the Bahamas and Jamaica have offered to join Kenya and contribute to a multinational force.
Violence, widespread poverty, rising costs of living, low agricultural production, and expensive food imports have exacerbated existing food insecurity in Haiti, leaving many women, men, and children suffering from hunger and malnutrition.
According to the latest IPC food security analysis, 4.9 million people - more than 40 percent of the population – are acutely food insecure. About 1.8 million people are suffering from emergency levels of hunger. The number of children suffering from severe wasting has risen to more than 115,000 across the country. Nearly a quarter of Haiti’s children are chronically malnourished.
The United Nations humanitarian response plan (HRP) for Haiti requires US$720 million to help more than three million people. Yet, the HRP is currently only 25.5 percent funded.
Further information
Full text: Kidnappings of children and women spiking at alarming rates in Haiti, UNICEF press release, published August 7, 2023
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/kidnappings-children-and-women-spiking-alarming-rates-haiti