The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned Monday that the number of children displaced by gang violence in Haiti has risen by 60% since March, the equivalent of "one child every minute," and noted that the estimated number of children affected is 300,000.
Displaced children make up more than half of the 600,000 people who have been forced to flee their homes because of the rampant violence in the country, particularly in the capital, Port-au-Prince, according to UNICEF.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement, "The humanitarian catastrophe unfolding before our eyes is having a devastating impact on children," adding that "displaced children are in desperate need of a safe environment to protect them, as well as increased community support and international funding."
Children and adolescents are double victims of violence. In addition to being forced to move, often without their families, to leave their schools, and in many cases to be deprived of the minimum conditions for survival, they are exposed to acts of sexual violence and exploitation.
Children are increasingly joining armed groups that spread terror in a country where 90% of the population lives in poverty and three million children are in need of humanitarian aid, according to UNICEF.
The United Nations Children's Fund continued, "The needs in Haiti continue to grow, as do the risks faced by children," adding, "Everyone has a role to play in changing the trajectory and ensuring that children return to school, are safe and have access to basic services."
Considered the poorest country in the Americas, Haiti has been mired in an economic, political and security crisis for years, exacerbated by gang violence that controls 80 percent of the capital.
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