UNICEF warns of sexual violence against children in Haiti

On February 7, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that the number of child sexual abuse cases in Haiti, a country engulfed in violence and poverty in Latin America, had increased tenfold in 2024.

Sexual violence against children in Haiti is at an alarming rate. (Source: UNICEF)

According to AFP news agency, speaking to reporters in Geneva (Switzerland), UNICEF spokesman James Elder said that gangs currently controlling 85% of the territory of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince are "spreading unimaginable terror" to the country's children.

Sexual violence against children in Haiti has increased sharply in the past two years as armed groups have increasingly recruited child soldiers, Elder said. Nearly half of the gangs that control much of Port-au-Prince have children, and gang recruitment of children has increased by 70 percent in the past year.

According to the official, 1.2 million children in the country are living under constant threat of armed violence.

The Caribbean country has been plagued by political instability for decades, and the situation has worsened in recent years as criminal gangs have become more active.

Gang violence killed at least 5,600 people in Haiti last year, up about 1,000 from 2023, according to United Nations statistics. In addition, more than 1 million people were forced to flee their homes, three times more than a year ago.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/unicef-bao-dong-ve-tinh-trang-bao-luc-tinh-duc-doi-voi-tre-em-o-haiti-303599.html