Children accompany armed gang members in a march organised by former police officer Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier, leader of an alliance of armed groups, in the Delmas neighbourhood, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, May 10, 2024. The number of children being recruited into armed groups across Haiti has increased by 70 per cent over the past year, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported. The unprecedented spike also reveals the alarming deterioration of child protection amid escalating violence in the Caribbean nation. Under constant threatThe situation in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, is significantly alarming, with 1.2 million children living under constant threat of armed violence. UNICEF is calling on all parties in Haiti to prioritise child protection, support the immediate release of recruited children and ensure their rights are central to any agreements.

Source: Daily Nation November 25, 2024 06:44 UTC