Child Protection
A safe environment for children
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The issues
Despite the progress made in recent years, the child protection situation in Haiti remains worrying:
Twenty-two per cent of children do not live with their biological parents.
More than 25,800 children are placed in institutions, 80 per cent of whom are not orphans.
One in six children is not registered at birth, which deprives them of their primary right to identity and exposes them to the risk of being denied access to basic social services.
Eight-five per cent of children aged between 1 and 14 have experienced some form of violence, including psychological aggression and corporal punishment.
Thirty-six per cent of girls and women aged between 15 and 49 have experienced physical and/or sexual violence.
207,000 children live in unacceptable domestic work situations.
Nearly 80 per cent of children held in Haitian prisons have not been tried or sentenced.
Children sometimes cross the border with the Dominican Republic without documentation and are vulnerable to trafficking and other types of exploitation.
The solutions
Decentralisation of protection services: To reduce the prevalence of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of children, UNICEF has supported the decentralisation of essential child protection services, including within the national body responsible for child protection, l'Institut du bien-être social et de recherches (Social Welfare and Research Institute, IBESR). Thanks to the commitment of the Government and the support of UNICEF, IBESR is present in all 10 of the country's departments.
Improve the juvenile justice system: The emphasis on juvenile justice aims to reduce the rate of prolonged preventive detention of minors and to improve the social work carried out with children in breach of the law.
Prevention of family separation / deinstitutionalisation of children: UNICEF supports the government's efforts to limit the number of children placed in institutional care. The main strategies in this regard will be to prevent children from being separated from their families, to help families assume their childcare responsibilities, to develop alternative care mechanisms, including foster families, and to facilitate family reunification and the transition from institutional care to family care.
Strengthen the birth registration system: The programme is working to reduce bottlenecks in birth registrations by supporting improvements to the institutional framework and the supply chain, and by developing community awareness activities and integration within the health system.
The child protection programme in figures in 2018
- 23,277 people sensitized to the identification and prevention of children's rights violations, violence against children and abuse and how to access care services.
- 2,656 vulnerable people received medical, psychosocial, case management and/or school reintegration support.
- 36 new foster families were accredited, increasing the number of foster families to 112, with a pool of 91 families awaiting accreditation.
- 3,915 people sensitized to prevent family separation.
- 101 children deprived of parental care were placed in foster families and 561 children were reunited with their biological families.
Resources
UNICEF works towards the fulfilment of children's rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Haiti ratified in June 1995. UNICEF is working with the Haitian government towards the adoption of laws that will improve the protection environment for children, in particular a Child Protection Code. It will also strengthen policy, regulatory and budgetary frameworks, as well as sectoral coordination. The organization is also promoting national care standards, centered on community-based care within a family.
Why are these efforts necessary?
Because of their age and vulnerability, children deserve special protection. The country does not have a child protection policy. The legal framework needs to be strengthened to improve the protection environment for children. Despite the efforts made by the state and by national and international organisations, cases of child abuse, neglect, exploitation, violence and abandonment continue to hinder the development and well-being of the Haitian population in general, and of children in particular. Child protection is therefore essential if children are to develop their full potential.
You can access our reports and research by clicking on the link below: Ressources et publications