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Haiti was one of the primary topics of discussion at a December 2 meeting of the UN's Economic and Social Council. UN officials and humanitarian agents alike called for immediate action to be taken in support of Haiti's youngest and most at-risk citizens.
At the meeting, attention was drawn to the dire reality faced by the majority of Haitians, 5.4 million – roughly half the population – facing acute food insecurity, while an estimated 700,000 have been displaced. While the dangerous times have caused trouble for the whole nation, the conditions for children have become a great concern.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher described the majority of Haitian children as "malnourished" and living "in fear" of the armed gangs that roam the streets. Those who are not hiding from the gangs are recruited to them; it is estimated that between 30% and 54% of armed gang members are children themselves.
While the recruitment of children to gangs is not necessarily new in Haiti, the practice has increased by 70% in the last year. The risk of children joining gangs is even greater when considering that around 1.5 million Haitian children have lost access to education and health care.
Peace, not hatred
The continuing violence taking place in Haiti has also drawn a call of alarm from the nation’s Catholic bishops. Their message, received by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), implores the government to take action and calls on the populace to overcome hatred in the name of peace.
In an open letter to the Haitian government and its people, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Haiti issued what it called a “cry of alarm.” The bishops lamented that the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, has seen its commerce halted as it has become isolated from the world. It painted a bleak scene in which schools have been closed and public activities have been halted.
“Everyone is on their guard. We all feel threatened,” explains Monsignor Max Leroys Mésidor, President of the Bishops’ Conference, to the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). “For two years, we have been operating a pastoral strategy of survival, but since November 11, the violence has taken a serious turn.”
Msgr. Mésidor referred to the November 11 attack on an aircraft at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, carried out by armed gangs. The airport has been closed ever since the attack, causing the practical collapse of Haiti's supply chains.
The UN has estimated that some 20,000 people in the Port-au-Prince region have been forced to flee their homes due to a lack of necessities.
“We cannot hope to reap peace by sowing violence. Peace is, above all, a gift of God, but it equally demands the efforts of all people of goodwill,” the bishops’ message continued. “We appeal to those who are in charge of governing the city to act with determination to re-establish security and guarantee the protection of citizens, in line with their primary mission of serving the common good.”
The bishops’ letter concluded with an invitation for all parties of the conflict to begin a dialog to “resolve this problem of ongoing violence. They urged that “something must be done,” to come to a solution before the situation worsens.
