Gang violence ravaging Haiti has led to a 30% increase in severe acute malnutrition among children this year, UNICEF announced Thursday, warning that the lives of more than 100,000 young people are at risk.
The more than 115,000 children at risk of starvation in the Caribbean island nation by 2023 is more than the nearly 86,000 last year, according to the United Nations International Emergency Fund for Children.
“Armed violence has led to an increase in the number of children in Haiti suffering from severe acute malnutrition, also known as severe malnutrition, which has skyrocketed in the country”said the UNICEF statement.
“In Haiti, more and more mothers and fathers are no longer able to provide adequate care and nutrition to their children, and parents are unable to take them to health centers because of the increase in appalling violence caused by armed groups”said UNICEF Representative in Haiti, Bruno Maes.
Rival gangs have taken over most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, while Haiti, America’s poorest country, has been grappling with a political and economic crisis since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021.
“In connection with the cholera outbreak ravaging the country, more children are more likely to suffer severe weight loss and will die if urgent action is not taken”Maas warned.
Haiti has had more than 41,000 suspected cases of cholera since the disease’s resurgence in the country in October, with children under 14 accounting for nearly half of the cases, the statement said.
UNICEF urgently needs $17 million to respond to the crisis, including to detect malnutrition and purchase food and other treatments, UNICEF said in its statement. Without such interventions, “the situation could deteriorate further between now and October”.
“A funding shortfall could endanger the lives of more than 100,000 children with instant death”adds the note, which highlights that children living in Port-au-Prince are most affected.
At the same time, nearly one in four children in Haiti already suffers from chronic malnutrition, which prevents them from “reaching their physical and cognitive capacities,” the note said.
More than 600 people died last month in the wake of gang violence in Haiti, in a “new wave of extreme violence” that has hit Port-au-Prince particularly hard, the UN said on Tuesday.
The UN has repeatedly called on the international community to send a specialized force to help the Haitian police and authorities restore order.
Source: DN
