Almost one in eight children internally displaced in Haiti as armed violence continues – UNICEF

PORT-AU-PRINCE/NEW YORK, 17 January 2025 – The number of internally displaced children in Haiti has increased by nearly 50 per cent since September – now equaling approximately one in eight children in the entire country – as a result of ongoing violence caused by armed groups.

According to latest estimates, there are now over one million internally displaced people in Haiti, over half of them children in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

“It is a horrific time to be a child in Haiti, with violence upending lives and forcing more children and families from their homes,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Children desperately need safety, protection and access to essential services. We cannot look away.”

Years of political turmoil and devastating poverty and inequality have fueled the growth of armed groups in Haiti. In the absence of other means of survival or protection, children are increasingly forced to join armed groups – with a notable 70 per cent increase in child recruitment over the past year. Up to 50 percent of armed group members are estimated to be comprised of children. Recruitment and use of children is a grave violation of children’s rights and international law.

Displaced children and adolescents in Haiti face heightened risks of violence, including sexual violence, exploitation, and abuse, which has also surged 1,000 per cent in the past year. Their access to essential services, such as education, clean water, sanitation, and healthcare is severely disrupted – exacerbating malnutrition, and increasing exposure to disease and violence. Nearly 6,000 people are living in famine-like conditions. Unsanitary conditions in displacement sites further increase their vulnerability to diseases such as cholera which, with almost 88,000 suspected cases, continues to affect children on the island nation.

UNICEF estimates that approximately 3 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance in the country, with over 1.2 million children under threat in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince alone, where the situation continues to deteriorate. By December, attempted sieges of residential areas led to widespread displacement, forcing an estimated 40,000 people to relocate within just two weeks.

UNICEF reiterates its urgent call for all parties to end violence and halt grave violations of children’s rights, including the recruitment and use of children by armed groups, and all forms of sexual violence. It also calls for the unimpeded access of humanitarian workers to safely reach vulnerable communities, including displaced populations in need.

“Children in Haiti are bearing the brunt of a crisis they did not create. They rely on the Haitian Government and international community to take urgent action to protect their lives and safeguard their futures,” said Russell.

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