The agency surveyed more than 3,500 young people in early June, most of whom felt their rights were rarely or not respected at all.
“When you ask whether children’s rights are respected in Haiti, the answer is usually a resounding ‘no,’” said Samar Tercière-Marceline, youth advocate for UNICEF Haiti.
“Children are abused, die from treatable or preventable diseases and malnutrition, and lack access to quality learning. This needs to change” he added.
Despite this stark reality, a surprising majority of young people responding to a UNICEF survey still believe that children’s future is brighter than their present.
Haiti continues to experience a series of political, socio-economic and security crises. Thousands of people have been forced from their homes as rival gangs fight for control of territory across the capital, Port-au-Prince. This has led to a deepening of poverty and hunger across the country.
Despite ongoing gang violence and a severe humanitarian crisis, Haitian youth remain optimistic.
The crisis worsens
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) recently added Haiti to the list of countries of greatest concern due to escalating violence by armed groups in their June-October 2024 outlook report.
The FAO and WFP have designated Haiti a “famine or famine risk hotspot,” with more than 5 million people now experiencing extreme food insecurity, the highest number since the 2010 earthquake.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the number of displaced people in Haiti has increased significantly in recent months, from 362,000 in March to 580,000 now.
More than 100,000 people have fled Port-au-Prince due to the worsening security situation.
The situation has had dire consequences for Haiti’s children, with UNICEF saying 2,500 people, most of them children, have been killed or injured between January and March.
“Every day, children are injured or killed,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell told the U.N. Security Council in April. “Some are recruited or join armed groups out of sheer desperation.”
Of the 1.6 million people facing acute food insecurity, around 600,000 are children, and many schools have closed due to the attacks, depriving thousands of children of their right to education.
Still optimistic
Despite the devastating situation, many young people are still hopeful. According to the UNICEF survey, 24% are very hopeful and 41% are at least somewhat hopeful. 14% say they are not very hopeful, and only 10% report having no hope at all.
When asked what would bring the greatest change to their country, 40% said improved access to education, 24% said economic development and poverty reduction, 19% said national security, and 7% said improved health care.
Haitian youth identify education as a key element in bringing about sustainable change in their country.
Increased humanitarian activities
The worsening situation has led to increased humanitarian efforts. Since June 1, WFP has provided 43,600 hot meals to some 13,500 displaced people in Port-au-Prince. It has also allocated US$1 million to some 65,000 people across the country as part of social protection and resilience activities.
Haitian authorities and national and international organizations have been working together to prepare Haitians for the hurricane season that began on June 1.
