Haiti: Five children a week on average killed or injured in armed violence in 2024 – Save the Children.

Toronto,  August 13, 2024 – At least 131 children, including babies, have been reported killed or injured in Haiti during violent attacks against their neighborhoods or clashes between armed groups and the police so far in 2024, Save the Children said.

According to an analysis of UN verified data, an average of five children a week in the first six months of 2024, have been killed or injured by armed violence in Haiti. However, the true number of child casualties is likely to be much higher.

While some children were killed or injured by stray bullets, others were reportedly targeted due to their suspected support for rival gangs or the police, according to the UN. Additionally, other children accused of minor offences were lynched and killed by members of the public.

In June, the UN-approved Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission started deploying security forces to Haiti to tackle the violent armed groups overrunning the country’s capital. Before the MSS deployment, Save the Children joined other aid agencies in warning that security forces will likely encounter children—both civilians and those involved with armed groups—putting children at significant new risks of being caught in the crossfire unless robust child protection measures are in place.

Chantal Sylvie Imbeault, Save the Children’s Country Director in Haiti, said:

“We are at a loss for words when it comes to the unimaginable suffering children in Haiti are enduring. Entire neighborhoods have been burned, kidnappings and sexual assaults are rampant, and children are being directly targeted or caught in the crossfire.

“Behind these horrifying numbers are real children who have been severely harmed or killed.  And the true extent of this crisis is likely even worse than the verified figures available. Our local partners and staff on the ground have witnessed a heart-wrenching surge in violence against children this year.

 “While the Multinational Security Support mission is a significant development, it may inadvertently bring new risks for children. Immediate and robust child protection measures are crucial to preventing further suffering and safeguarding these vulnerable lives.”

Save the Children is calling for transparency and assurances from the MSS to ensure the forces have adopted robust child protection measures, undergone pre-deployment training on child safeguarding, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and gender-based violence, and have comprehensive plans for continued post-deployment rights training.

Moreover, all security forces deployed in Haiti must fulfil their obligations under international humanitarian law and respect for human rights. The child rights organization is also calling on UN Security Council members to use their power to end impunity for those responsible for the unlawful recruitment and use of children and other grave violations against children, and on all parties in Haiti to allow immediate, sustained and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief.

Save the Children has been working in Haiti since 1978, in both urban and rural communities, providing cash assistance so families can buy essentials, and delivering health and nutrition support, and supporting children access quality education.

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

• According to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) Q1 report, at least 82 children, some as young as six years old, were killed or injured during the first quarter of 2024.quarterly_report_on_the_human_rights_situation_in_haiti.pdf (unmissions.org)

• According to the UN BINUH Q2 report, between April and June, at least 49 children, including babies,  were killed or injured: quarterly_report_on_the_human_rights_situation_in_haiti.pdf (unmissions.org)

• According to Save the Children’s analysis of the BINHU data, 131 children were recorded killed or injured between January and June 2024, or an average of five children a week.