21476: Esser: New study reveals impact of political violence on Haitian children (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

UN Children's Fund
http://www.unicef.org

April 19, 2004

New study reveals impact of political violence on Haitian children

NEW YORK/PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI, 19 April, 2004 - UNICEF said today
that a new assessment of Haitian children is the first indication of
how deeply the country's recent political violence touched their
lives.

The nationwide assessment, conducted last month, shows that the
conflict has had a severe impact on Haiti's children, particularly
the most vulnerable, such as the 2,000 children living in the streets
of Port-au-Prince, and the 120,000 girls who work as domestic
servants. The survey reveals that:

- In more than 15 percent of the surveyed zones, children were
reportedly killed in the violence.

- Children were wounded by gunshots or beaten by armed gangs in more
than a third of the surveyed zones.

- The number of child rapes increased significantly in the urban
areas where violence was the most extreme. In one instance, a human
rights organization reported nine girls raped in the town of Cabaret
over the course of only two days.

UNICEF says that in some places children were pressured to take part
in the violence. The survey shows that:

- Children were recruited by armed gangs in almost a third of the
surveyed zones.

- Many children who participated in violent activities now fear
retribution for their actions.

With few exceptions, Haitian children in most of the country appear
to have been touched by fear and insecurity. This includes:

- In more than 70% of the surveyed zones, families fled the violence
to seek refuge in safer areas.

- In 8 of the 10 major cities, school students received death threats
aimed at preventing them from attending school or participating in
public events.

- Several assessment missions conducted throughout the country by the
UNICEF team in Haiti following the conflict confirmed that a number
of schools and hospitals had been the targets of violence or looting.

Francoise Gruloos-Ackermans, UNICEF Representative in Haiti, said
that the report confirms UNICEF's assessment during the crisis that
the exceptional vulnerability of Haiti's children almost guaranteed
that they would bear the brunt of the suffering.

"The conflict affected every child in Haiti because of an environment
of impunity. The increase in violence meant that the supply of food
was considerably reduced, medical help was virtually unobtainable,
and schools were closed for months. The crisis is over, but its
effect on children is still of real concern to us."

The new information on the impact of recent violence on Haiti's
children resulted from a UNICEF-led rapid assessment that was carried
out in 31 zones across the country. Each of the 31 zones corresponds
to a city and its communes. A total of 438 responses were completed
and analysed. The survey provides preliminary qualitative data on the
effect of the crisis on children.

Even before the recent crisis, children in Haiti faced enormous
challenges. More than one child in 10 died before the age of five. An
estimated 50 per cent of children did not receive routine
immunizations. Close to half of primary-school aged children were not
attending schools, and 80 per cent did not go to secondary school.
The country had an illiteracy rate of over 55 per cent, the highest
in the Americas. And the recent crisis has only exacerbated the
situation.

UNICEF partners in the study included Save the Children Canada, Save
the Children US, World Vision, and Plan International.
.