Radio Havana Cuba | Children in Haiti are trapped in a vicious cycle

By Maria Josefina Arce

Armed conflicts and natural disasters particularly affect children, who in many cases see their dreams and future aspirations cut short. They face the sad reality of seeing their homes, schools and communities destroyed and losing family members.

In Haiti, where gang violence is prevalent, this population sector is under serious threat. The United Nations has said that each report it issues on the situation of children in the Caribbean nation is more alarming than the previous one.

The international organization noted that children are victims of atrocities committed by criminal gangs, ranging from murder, kidnapping, rape, and forced recruitment into their ranks.

In recent days, UNICEF, the United Nations children's agency, reported that gangs in the capital's main port, Port-au-Prince, looted a container containing basic aid for minors, deprived of receiving medical care due to the collapse of the bridge. Health system.

The fact is that the situation of children in Haitian territory has deteriorated in recent years. They were the biggest victims of the powerful earthquake of 2010, which also left many infants dead and injured and thousands of orphans.

Eleven years later, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, another major earthquake deepened already existing vulnerabilities in the country ranked as the poorest in the hemisphere.

In addition, after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, violence escalated dramatically, escalating over the months until it reached the current critical situation.

In the middle of last year, UNICEF warned that about three million children, the highest number ever recorded, needed humanitarian assistance.

The threat to children's well-being is increasing by the hour. The longer this chaotic landscape continues, the greater the physical and mental damage to this segment of the population.

Children in Haiti are trapped in a vicious cycle. Violence, hunger, poverty and ill health have been part of their lives for a long time. They urgently need protection and support.