Nearly 300 minors and adult women were victims of kidnapping in Haiti in the first six months of 2023, a sharp increase compared to 2022, UNICEF announced Monday, August 7, which warns of this “extremely worrying” phenomenon. . The number of kidnappings recorded for the current year “nearly matches the total number of kidnappings recorded for the previous year and almost three times that of 2021”, warned the United Nations children’s fund in a statement.
In most cases, women and children are abducted by armed groups and used for financial or tactical advantage. The victims who manage to return home suffer from physical and psychological trauma, explains Unicef.
“Women and children are not commodities or currencies. And they must not be subjected to such unimaginable violence,” commented Garry Conille, regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean at UNICEF. “This surge in kidnappings and kidnappings is extremely worrying and threatens the Haitian people and those who have come to help them,” he continued.
The “constant terror” of the civilian population
Gangs control about 80% of Port-au-Prince, the capital, and violent crimes such as rape, kidnapping for ransom, armed robbery and carjacking are daily occurrences. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry have been calling for months for international intervention to support local police.
In addition to the security situation, a serious humanitarian, economic and political crisis is shaking this small Caribbean country, where no elections have been held since 2016. “Almost 5.2 million people, or about half of the population, have need humanitarian aid, including 3 million children,” said UNICEF. “Local health systems are on the verge of collapse and schools are under attack, placing the civilian population in constant terror,” the UN agency said.
Gang violence has notably caused the country to increase by 30% in one year in severe acute malnutrition among children, according to figures published in May by Unicef. Nearly one in four children now suffer from chronic malnutrition, and 115,600 children are expected to suffer from the most deadly form of malnutrition in 2023, according to the organization.