UNICEF condemns kidnapping and assassination of children in HaitiPort-au-Prince, 30 November 2007 – UNICEF is alarmed by reports of an increasing number of child kidnappings and assassination in October and November 2007. Children have not been exempt from violent crime and abductions, in fact children are often targets of these abominable crimes. According to the Haitian law enforcement authorities, there has been about 20 reported cases of kidnappings in November in the Port-au-Prince vicinity alone. However, this crime is no longer restricted to the metropolitan capital, as cases have been reported in Gros Morne, Cap Haitian, Gonaives and Cabaret. In the month of November, there were 11 reported abductions of children between the ages of three and 17. The case of the a seven year old boy, who’s body was found mutilated on November 23 after being abducted from his home in Cabaret two weeks earlier, is just one example of these heinous acts. UNICEF strongly condemns all violent attacks on children and civilians and extends its deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims. All forms of violence committed against children, their families, and their communities seriously threaten or affect their wellbeing and long term development. UNICEF urgently calls for appropriate action to be taken to protect human rights and ensure security for all, particularly children. Furthermore, we demand that the perpetrators are brought to justice. UNICEF reiterates that that the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Haiti in 1994, obliges the government and the people of Haiti to defend children’s rights and ensure their protection. For more information, please contact ----------------------------- About UNICEF
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