Haiti: Unicef focuses on shelters for displaced children amid ongoing crisis

The Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Ted Chaiban, met yesterday with children who have been forcibly displaced along with their families due to violence and are currently living in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. Despite the challenging circumstances, these children spend their days in makeshift tents, facing uncertainty, yet they strive to maintain a semblance of a normal childhood.

The United Nations migration agency reports that internal displacement in Haiti has tripled in the past year, now affecting over 1 million individuals, with children making up half of that number.

The rampant violence in Haiti has left more than 6 million people requiring humanitarian aid.

The deputy executive director of UNICEF is currently in Haiti, inspecting shelters, clinics, and schools that the organization has funded or supported.

Ted Chaiban emphasized that UNICEF's main focus is on the internally displaced individuals living in shelters in Port-au-Prince and other cities across the nation.

One shelter he visited is accommodating 7,000 people, despite being intended for only 700 students.

Having lived in Haiti years ago, Chaiban described the current situation as "unprecedented."

He also noted that UNICEF estimates that between 30% and 50% of gang members are adolescents, and in some cases, even children.

Chaiban mentioned that agreements between the Haitian government and the Multinational Security Support Mission stipulate that captured minors should be handed over to civilians for community reintegration support.

"Treat them as children," he urged.

In a nation where over 60% of the population survives on less than $4 a day, and many Haitians are facing starvation, the recruitment of children is often straightforward.

UNICEF, in collaboration with the Haitian government, is developing programs aimed at reintegrating and educating minors; however, there are serious concerns regarding funding.

Chaiban estimates that the organization will need $272 million (USD) this year, but has only managed to raise $15 million (USD) so far.

“It is a significant shortfall,” he remarked.

Haiti has spiraled into turmoil since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.

Gang violence escalated in early 2024 when gangs launched attacks, breaching two of the country’s largest prisons and freeing over 4,000 inmates, while overpowering the capital's international forces and Haiti's security personnel.

Currently, gangs control 85% of Port-au-Prince.