Haiti’s freefall demands urgent global action as millions face hunger and violence

(United Nations) Haiti is facing “one of the most severe and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crises in the Western Hemisphere,” a senior UN aid official warned on Friday, underscoring the need for continued global attention to alleviate suffering there. 

Edem Wosurnu of the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, briefed journalists on her recent mission to the Caribbean island nation where violent armed gangs remain in control of large areas of the territory. 

The worsening crisis is marked by rising insecurity, deepening protection needs, mass displacement, shocking levels of gender-based violence (GBV) and a challenging operating environment for the UN and partners. 

Families, not figures 

OCHA is sounding the alarm as over half the Haitian population, 6.4 million people, now need humanitarian assistance.   

Some 5.7 million are going hungry, with families skipping meals and children even leaving school to help support their households, while 1.5 million people – 12 per cent of the population – are displaced. 

“These are not abstract figures,” she said. “These represent families uprooted, families displaced; separated children – many who’ve lost the homes that they knew.”  

Violence and vermin 

Ms. Wosurnu, Director of OCHA’s Crisis Response Division, was in Haiti from 16-20 March and “the situation has changed significantly” since her last mission two years ago. 

She travelled to the capital Port-au-Prince, which is 90 per cent under gang control, and other locations such as Centre Department, where a recent wave of violence left some 80 people dead and forced 13,000 to flee.  

The veteran humanitarian visited crowded displacement sites, including a school that normally holds 400 students but now shelters some 2,800 people. 

“They described at night vermin, roaches, coming out; rashes on the skin of children,” she said.  “The very ground I was walking on (was) the very place people were sleeping on at night.” 

Across Haiti, 1,600 schools remain closed due to insecurity in a country that prizes education.  

“School means a lot for the people of Haiti,” she said. “So, 1,600 schools closed, 250,000 children missing education, is a big, huge deal.” 

Protect women and girls 

The plight of women and girls is “particularly horrendous” and represents a protection crisis.  

“Last year, 8,100 survivors of gender-based violence were recorded – a 25 per cent increase from the year before. Half of the reported cases involved rape,” she said. 

At one site she met a 16-year-old girl and her three-month-old baby, describing them as “a child holding a child.” The teenager had been displaced, with no idea where her parents and siblings were. A man offered to take care of her but instead abused her. 

The girl embodied another harsh statistic, as one in six GBV survivors is under 18.  Ms. Wosornu also spoke to women whose “glazed-over eyes” reflect their trauma. 

Yet only 30 per cent of survivors receive medical assistance or psychological support within the critical 72 hours after sexual violence due to the lack of humanitarian funding for GBV. 

Commitment to deliver 

Amid the devastation in Haiti, the UN and its humanitarian partners continue to deliver for the population. Aid teams include national staff, many of whom are themselves displaced and under threat but remain committed to their work. 

“They sometimes negotiate with the very armed actors that we are talking about, delivering assistance in areas that are extremely difficult to reach,” she said. 

Humanitarians are seeking $880 million to support 4.2 million people in Haiti this year amid ongoing cuts to foreign aid. Less than 20 per cent has been received to date. 

Haiti cannot wait 

Ms. Wosornu concluded her remarks by making three requests “because the people of Haiti cannot wait.” 

She called for an end to the violence, continued support for humanitarian operations as “aid is collapsing” and political solutions to end the crisis. 

“We must be honest. Humanitarian assistance alone cannot change the fate of the people of Haiti and the trajectory of Haiti,” she said. 

“Sustained investment in essential services can create solutions for the people. Haiti’s courage, undeniable. Our support, ever so necessary.”