Youth in Haiti Remain Upbeat Amid Worsening Instability – Global Issues

The agency interviewed more than 3,500 young people in early June, the majority of whom believe their rights are rarely or never respected.

“When I ask children if their rights are respected in Haiti, the answer is often a resounding “no,” says Samarre Tercier Marcellin, youth advocate for UNICEF Haiti.

“Children are abused, die from diseases and malnutrition that can be cured or prevented, and do not have access to quality education. This must change,” he added.

Despite these harsh realities, a shocking majority of young people who took part in the UNICEF survey still believe that children’s futures are brighter than they are in the present.

Haiti continues to face a series of political, socio-economic and security crises. Rival gangs are battling for control of territory in the capital Port-au-Prince, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. This has further exacerbated poverty and severe hunger across the country.

Worsening crisis

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) have added Haiti to the list of countries of ‘greatest concern due to the escalation of violence by armed groups’ in their latest outlook report for June. October 2024.

The FAO and WFP have also identified Haiti as a ‘hotspot of famine or risk of famine’, with more than five million people now facing acute food insecurity, the highest number since the 2010 earthquake.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the number of displaced people in Haiti has also increased sharply in recent months, from 362,000 in March to 580,000 today.

More than 100,000 people left Port-au-Prince alone due to the deteriorating security situation.

This situation has had serious consequences for the children of Haiti. Of the 2,500 people killed or injured between January and March, many of them were children, UNICEF said.

“Children are being injured or killed every day,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell told the UN Security Council in April. “Some are recruited or join armed groups out of sheer desperation.”

About 600,000 of the 1.6 million people facing acute food insecurity are children, and many schools have closed due to attacks, depriving thousands of children of their right to education.

Still optimistic

Despite the devastating circumstances, many young people remain hopeful. According to the UNICEF survey, 24 percent are very hopeful and 41 percent are at least somewhat hopeful. Fourteen percent said they were not very hopeful, and only 10 percent said they were not hopeful at all.

When asked what would enable the country to change the most, 40 percent cited better access to education, 24 percent economic development and poverty reduction, 19 percent security across the country and seven percent improved health care.

More humanitarian action

Humanitarian efforts have intensified due to deteriorating conditions. Since June 1, WFP has delivered 43,600 hot meals to nearly 13,500 displaced people in Port-au-Prince. It has also allocated $1 million as part of its social protection and resilience activities to around 65,000 people across the country.

Joint efforts have also been made on behalf of Haitian authorities and national and international organizations to prepare Haitian citizens for the hurricane season that began on June 1.