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The number of children forced from their homes by escalating gang violence in Haiti has nearly doubled in a year, reaching around 680,000, according to a new report from UNICEF released on Wednesday. The UN children’s agency urged the international community to increase support for the Caribbean nation, warning that Haiti is “at a breaking point.”
“The number of children displaced by violence has almost doubled over the past year to approximately 680,000,” UNICEF said, adding that more than 3.3 million children now require humanitarian aid. The agency described their situation as “a daily struggle for survival.”
Roberto Benes, UNICEF’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, told AFP from Haiti that urgent action is needed. “One of our messages is that Haiti is at a breaking point. We need to make clear this generation cannot keep waiting for help to come,” he said.
The report paints a grim picture of the deteriorating situation in the country, where gang-related violence has surged dramatically. In 2024 alone, the UN verified over 2,269 “grave violations” against 1,373 children. These included 213 deaths, 138 injuries, and 566 cases of sexual violence — 406 of which were rapes and 160 classified as gang rapes. Another 302 children were reportedly recruited by armed gangs.
UNICEF estimates that some 2.7 million Haitians — including 1.6 million women and children — now live in areas controlled by criminal groups, representing nearly a quarter of the country’s total population.
“For countless children, trauma is a daily reality,” the agency warned. “Unless protection services are urgently restored, an entire generation risks growing up not only in fear but also under relentless exposure to violence and exploitation.”
