UNICEF: Record number of Haiti children on the run

The number of children forced from their homes in Haiti has nearly doubled in the past year, with 680,000 now displaced by escalating violence, according to a new UNICEF Child Alert report released this week.

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The report paints a grim picture of Haiti’s worsening humanitarian crisis, revealing that 3.3 million children — the highest figure ever recorded — now require humanitarian assistance. Cases of acute malnutrition, child recruitment by armed groups, and gender-based violence are all on the rise.

“Children in Haiti are being displaced at a distressing pace and scale,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s Executive Director. “Each time they are forced to flee, they lose not only their homes but also their chance to go to school, to be safe, and to simply be children.”

Haiti’s overlapping crises — from deadly earthquakes and political instability to economic collapse — have deepened into what UNICEF calls one of the world’s most complex humanitarian emergencies. Armed gangs now control more than 85 percent of Port-au-Prince, as well as key roads, cutting off families from food, healthcare, and other essentials.

More than 2.7 million people, including 1.6 million women and children, are believed to be living under gang control. The number of displacement sites has surged to 246 across the country in just the first half of this year — a figure the report describes as “unprecedented.”

Education Under Siege

Gang violence has devastated Haiti’s already fragile education system. In Port-au-Prince and nearby areas, over 1,600 schools have been forced to close, while 25 have been occupied by gangs, turning classrooms into battlegrounds and shelters.

Even outside conflict zones, the cost of education remains prohibitive for many families. With only 15 to 20 percent of schools publicly funded, most households must pay for textbooks and uniforms, leaving thousands of children unable to attend.

UNICEF said it has treated 86,000 children suffering from wasting — a severe form of malnutrition — and provided healthcare to 117,000 people and safe water to 140,000. But the agency warned that its operations remain critically underfunded, jeopardizing lifesaving support.

“The children of Haiti cannot wait,” Russell urged. “Like every child, they deserve a chance to be safe, healthy, and to live in peace. It is up to us to take action for Haiti’s children now.”