HAITI: ONE YEAR AFTER THE STATE OF EMERGENCY, ONE CHILD IN THREE IS DISPLACED

Toronto, March 3, 2025—More than one in three children displaced in Haiti is aged five or under, as conditions continue to deteriorate for children and their families one year after the country declared a state of emergency, Save the Children said.

Nearly 200,000 of the more than 500,000 displaced children in Haiti are estimated to be aged five or under – many of whom have been forced to flee multiple times. These small children are uniquely vulnerable, and while displaced, many will miss out on early childhood essentials – including vaccinations, clean water, healthcare, nutritious food, and adequate shelter from extreme heat and rain.

On 3 March 2024, Haiti declared a state of emergency due to escalating violence and lawlessness in the country, particularly in Port-au-Prince, where armed groups have seized control of all major roads into the city. Displaced children and their families are living in overcrowded schools-turned-shelters, often without adequate clean water, food, or protection.

Esther*, 34, gave birth in a displacement camp on 4 March 2024—one day after the state of emergency was declared. She and her five children were first displaced in November 2022, when armed men stormed their quiet neighborhood, and then displaced again in August 2023, when armed groups started seizing territory in her new neighbourhood.

She said: “A molotov cocktail was thrown into my house, and my first thought was that I’m going to die. I was pregnant at the time. I threw my two girls over the wall of our house and then I jumped over myself. It was the same scene for everyone in the neighborhood; everyone was just trying to save themselves and their families. No one had time to help others.”

Esther later found out that seven of her family members were killed that day, including her mother and her son who was staying with his grandparents. Esther and her remaining family fled to a gymnasium with hundreds of others, where she gave birth to her daughter Roseline* in March 2024.

“Four days after giving birth, a fight broke out between the police and gangs outside of the gymnasium. Tear gas was fired inside the gymnasium, close to where Roseline was, and my stepdaughter was shot in the foot. When the baby got tear gas in her system, she couldn’t breathe or cry. The gas entered her brain so one eye is more active than the other.”

Although Roseline still requires medical support, Esther and her husband are unable to afford it, no longer having an income. The family eventually left the gymnasium for another shelter, where her eldest son was recruited into an armed group last June. “I haven’t seen or heard from my son since. We believe that he was forced to join a gang when he left the camp with friends.”

Save the Children is supporting families like Esther’s through cash assistance so they can buy the items they need most. With armed groups controlling 85-90% of Port-au-Prince, there is no safe place for children in the city.  Last year was the deadliest year for children since armed group violence surged in Haiti, and thousands of children remain at risk of recruitment and sexual abuse.

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

“One-third of the displaced children in Haiti are aged five and under. Despite a state of emergency being declared, the world continues to watch while armed groups burn down entire neighborhoods, children get caught in the crossfire, and families are robbed of their most basic rights—healthcare, food, and clean water. 

“The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are critical to their development, and in this environment of violence and instability, these children are at risk of being left behind. Without urgent intervention, we face the grim reality of a generation unable to recover from the impact this humanitarian crisis is inflicting on their early years. Their future is at risk, and so is the future of Haiti.”

The only way to truly protect children’s lives is to halt this violence and for all parties to do everything in their power to de-escalate the situation immediately, said Save the Children. Life-saving humanitarian assistance and aid workers must be allowed to reach those in need without delay, and the international community must urgently increase humanitarian funding for Haiti.

Save the Children has provided cash assistance for displaced families in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince living in schools-turned-shelters to find more dignified housing solutions while helping to free up schools to resume educational activities, and cash assistance to host families in the Grand’Anse and South department. The child rights organization is also working through local partners in Haiti’s West, Grand’Anse, and South departments to provide access to quality education and psychosocial support to students.

ENDS

Notes to the Editor

• According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), consistent displacement trends over the last two years indicate that about 52% of people displaced in Haiti are children, and 18% are aged five and under. Of the 1,041,000 displaced in Haiti, about 540,000 children and about 187,000 of which are under the age of five (34%).
• UN News from March 2024 said that the violent activity of armed groups is having a huge impact in the department of Artibonite, north of Port-au-Prince, but especially in the capital. We estimate that 85% of the city is under gang control.Haití: La violencia de las bandas ha puesto en jaque el sistema sanitario en Puerto Príncipe | | Noticias ONU