Growing concern for the safety of children in the country
The organization expressed concern about the danger children are currently facing in the country. More than a third of the numerous armed bands that operate in Haiti and control a large part of its territory have children among their members, according to Unicef data provided this Monday by the director of this organization, Catherine Russell, before the UN Security Council.
Russell said that between 30 and 50 percent of armed gangs recruited minors, who are also targets of widespread violence, as they make up a large portion of the thousands of reported cases of sexual violence in the country.
The same idea was expressed by the UN Special Representative for Haiti, María Isabel Salvador, who recalled that children recruited into gangs risk being killed or injured during frequent clashes between gangs or with the police.
“However (minors) also commit acts of violence, including murders, kidnappings and rapes,” Salvador regretted, stressing that many girls are victims of gang rapes perpetrated by armed groups.
Salvador deplored that “some of the worst scenarios for Haiti have become reality in recent months,” citing as an example that armed gangs, in addition to terrorizing entire neighborhoods of civilians, have attacked public infrastructure such as police stations in recent weeks. police, the university, temples or the airport of Port-au-Prince, until now under their control and closed to traffic.
