Haiti: UN Maintains Humanitarian Efforts in the Face of Violence

May 17, 2024 Hour: 5:06 pm

On Friday, the UN said that it is continuing its humanitarian efforts today to support people affected and displaced by the violence in Haiti, which is hitting hard in the capital’s neighborhoods.

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Despite the volatile situation, humanitarian organisations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are providing emergency assistance to thousands of people inside and outside Port-au-Prince.

Both agencies have distributed more than nine million litres of drinking water to more than 70,000 people since 1 March as part of these efforts.

For its part, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs this week arrived at a displacement shelter in Solino, south of the capital, which is currently hosting about 900 displaced people.

“It used to be very calm in my neighborhood,” a 9-year-old boy shared with @UNICEFHaiti. “But everything changed overnight.”

His experience is sadly familiar, as so many of #Haiti‘s children have been exposed to horrors no child should have to endure. https://t.co/NWedqxwk0u

— UNICEF USA (@UNICEFUSA)
May 17, 2024

The team spoke with some of the refugees and partners working at the site, where resources are lacking despite the efforts of local NGOs.

Meanwhile, IOM supported another 20,000 displaced persons in Port-au-Prince since the end of February through mobile clinic services and another 1,000 children received psychosocial support in reception sites between 8 and 15 May.

Some 362,000 Haitians have been forced to flee their homes internally, half of them children, according to UN figures.

This week, the IOM said that between 8 March and 9 April some 95,000 people fled the capital, 60 per cent of them to the southern departments.

.@BrunoMaesUnicef visited the Cap-Haitian factory, producing over 80% of UNICEF’s Ready to Use Therapeutic Food for Haitian children.
UNICEF estimates severe child malnutrition will rise 20% in 2024. Yet, sourcing #RUTF locally helps circumvent supply challenges due to violence. pic.twitter.com/fjDPJBoMnx

— UNICEF Haiti (@UNICEFHaiti)
May 16, 2024

The UN estimates that at least 5.5 million Haitians will need humanitarian assistance by 2024, up from the 5.2 million estimated by the UN.

The agency also warns of a disproportionate burden of the current context on women, after rape rates soared due to unsafe conditions in many displacement sites.

In response, humanitarian organisations organise prevention and awareness-raising activities, while identifying survivors and ensuring they receive appropriate care.