Fear Must Yield to Hope

Message from Bruno Maes, UNICEF Representative, on the Occasion of the National Day of the Haitian Child

On this National Day of the Haitian Child, let's take a moment to reflect on the daily lives of children in our country.

In recent weeks, months, and years, Haitian children and families have endured relentless waves of brutal violence, each day bringing new horrors. Many children are currently being born and raised in displacement sites. Nearly 600,000 people, most of them women and children, have been displaced by the violence caused by armed groups.

Household poverty has increased in all departments. The rising cost of living is severely impacting families, who are finding it increasingly difficult to cover the expenses essential to survival and the development of their youngest children.

Acute food insecurity now affects almost half of the Haitian population, who struggle to feed their children. The number of children under five suffering from severe acute malnutrition has risen by almost 20%. Children in Port-au-Prince and Artibonite are the worst affected.

Parents face growing challenges in ensuring their children's continued education and in accessing the quality healthcare essential to their survival.

UNICEF remains extremely concerned about the situation on the ground. More than 3 million children—the highest number ever recorded—are in need of humanitarian aid, while Haitians continue to face the worst abuses, violations, and threats they have ever seen in their history.
 

Haiti's children are in desperate need of safety, protection, and stability. The rapidly deteriorating security situation has left countless families without support or essential services.

Haiti is now at a critical juncture in its history. More than ever, we must stand together and mobilize to put children's rights back at the heart of all priorities. This means guaranteeing their safety, their access to education, healthcare, and adequate nutrition.

Fear must now yield to hope. Our commitments to children must be translated into concrete action on a daily basis. It's time to put children's rights at the heart of Haiti's current political agenda.

UNICEF seizes this day to call for:

• Accelerated efforts to protect civilians and guarantee sustainable humanitarian access in Haiti.
• Increased immediate and flexible funding to meet the needs of the most vulnerable and enable the provision of vital and essential services, including healthcare and education.
• Protection of schools, hospitals, and other critical infrastructure on which children depend, and safeguarding of humanitarian spaces.

In Haiti, UNICEF is not alone in defending children's rights. The Convention on the Rights of the Child can rely on a wide range of advocates, organizations, institutions, and individuals, including children themselves.

The more advocates there are, the better the chances that the ideals described thirty-five years ago will become a reality for every child in Haiti.

For every child, hope.