In a briefing on Friday, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric reported that over 1,600 men, women and children have fled.
Two-thirds are seeking refuge with host families and over 500 sheltering in three newly established displacement sites, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Children at risk
The situation for children remains particularly dire. The number of internally displaced children in Haiti has increased by almost 50 percent since September, now surpassing half a million.
UNICEF reports that approximately one in eight children in the country is now displaced.
The agency also warns of a 70 percent rise in child recruitment by gangs over the past year, with up to half of gang members in Haiti now estimated to be children.
‘Childhood is a right’
Speaking from a prison in Port-au-Prince where dozens of children are being held, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder described the growing desperation:
“I’m in a prison in Port-au-Prince where dozens of children are being held,” he said, explaining that 85 percent of this capital city is controlled by armed groups.
“So, child recruitment into armed groups is rampant. Children get recruited. It’s out of desperation. It’s out of manipulation, out of being engulfed in violence,” he emphasized.
Mentioning a 16-year-old girl who dreamt of being a pediatrician, but was caught up in a raid, he said: “The point of this is that childhood should not be a gift. Childhood is a right.”
Humanitarian needs grow
The crisis is further exacerbated by forced returns from neighboring countries.
In the first two weeks of January alone, nearly 15,000 Haitians were returned from the Dominican Republic, adding to the 200,000 people deported across the region last year.
Meanwhile, natural disasters have worsened conditions across the country.
Since November, approximately 330,000 people have been affected by floods in six of Haiti’s departments, leaving dozens dead and damaging or destroying almost 50,000 homes.
UN appeals
The UN has launched a $908 million humanitarian appeal to assist 3.9 million people in Haitithis year.
“We urge the international community to scale up its support so that we and our humanitarian partners can support the people of Haiti who need it,” said Mr. Dujarric.
As conditions deteriorate, UN agencies and humanitarian organizations stress the need for urgent international action to protect Haiti’s most vulnerable, especially its children –trapped in a cycle of violence, displacement, and deprivation.
“For those of us with freedom, those with safety, those who have an opportunity – we also have a responsibility. We have a responsibility to raise our voices for those who simply do not have one,” Mr. Elder said.
