UNITED NATIONS, CMC – The United Nations Kids’s Fund (UNICEF) has denounced a lethal Christmas Day assault by an armed group on a household in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
UNICEF mentioned 4 individuals, together with two women underneath the age of 10, have been killed within the assault, which occurred within the Croix de Bouquet district. It mentioned 4 different members of the family have been kidnapped.
Comparable assaults occurred in the identical neighborhood per week in the past, in response to Bruno Maes, UNICEF Consultant in Haiti.
“Regrettably, such killings aren’t remoted,” Maes mentioned in an announcement, including, “From July to September 2023 alone, Haiti has witnessed 88 grave violations of youngsters’s rights, with 37 of those ensuing within the tragic lack of lives or accidents throughout armed conflicts.”
UNICEF mentioned rampant gang violence, primarily affecting the capital metropolis, continues to plague the French-speaking Caribbean nation, the place practically half the inhabitants, roughly 5 million individuals, wants humanitarian help.
Maes mentioned important crimes, together with homicides and kidnappings, are escalating at an unprecedented price, significantly within the metropolitan space of Port-au-Prince and the Artibonite division.
Between July and September, the Haitian Nationwide Police recorded a staggering 1,239 homicides, in comparison with 577 in the identical interval in 2022, in response to UNICEF.
It mentioned abductions additionally surged to 701 victims, representing a surprising 244 % enhance.
Moreover, UNICEF mentioned that in areas managed by armed teams, locations comparable to colleges, well being services, and safety providers have additionally come underneath assault.
UNICEF mentioned it and its companions have repeatedly referred to as for the safety of civilians, particularly youngsters and ladies, and for the respect of worldwide humanitarian regulation.
“Killing youngsters is a grave violation of human rights,” mentioned Maes, including that the repeated assaults and entry restrictions brought on by the violence and insecurity are hampering the power to achieve individuals in want.
He underlined UNICEF’s dedication “to take all measures to make sure the security of youngsters and their households, and to scale back the struggling of the victims.”
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