Gangs control about 80% of Port-au-Prince, the capital, and violent crimes such as rape, kidnapping for ransom, armed robbery and carjacking are daily occurrences.
Nearly 300 minors and adult women were victims of kidnapping in Haiti in the first six months of 2023, a sharp increase compared to 2022, UNICEF said on Monday, which warns against this phenomenon “extremely disturbing“. The number of kidnappings recorded for the current year “almost equals the total number of kidnappings recorded for the previous year and almost three times that of 2021“warned the United Nations Children’s Fund in a press release.
In most cases, women and children are abducted by armed groups and used for financial or tactical advantage. The victims who manage to return home suffer from physical and psychological trauma, explains Unicef.
“Women and children are not commodities, nor currencies of exchange. And they must not be subjected to such unimaginable violencecommented Garry Conille, regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean at UNICEF. “This outbreak of kidnappings and sequestrations is extremely worrying and threatens the Haitian people and those who have come to help them.“.
80% of Port-au-Prince controlled by gangs
Haiti: Over 250 suspected gang members killed by self-proclaimed vigilantes, the capital, and violent crimes such as rape, kidnapping for ransom, armed robbery and carjacking are daily occurrences. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry have been calling for months for international intervention to support local police.
In addition to the security situation, a serious humanitarian, economic and political crisis is shaking this small Caribbean country where no election has been held since 2016.
“Nearly 5.2 million people, or about half of the population, need humanitarian assistance, including 3 million children“recalls Unicef. “Local health systems are on the brink of collapse and schools are under attack, placing the civilian population in constant terror“, underlines the UN agency.
Gang violence has notably caused a 30% increase in the country in one year of severe acute malnutrition among children, according to figures published in May by Unicef. Nearly one in four children now suffer from chronic malnutrition and 115,600 children are expected to suffer from the most deadly form of malnutrition in 2023, according to the organization.