Over 300K children displaced in Haiti by gang violence, UN says

The United Nations on Tuesday reported that about three million children across the Caribbean country need humanitarian assistance amid ongoing violence. More than 300,000 children have been displaced since March, according to the UN Children’s Fund. Nearly 580,000 people have become homeless in Haiti this year, according to the UN. Most have sought shelter with other families or in public buildings, including schools and churches. The agency also said that Haitian children are joining violent gangs to survive. They face a high risk of sexual assault, exploitation, abuse, and family separation.

What other challenges are facing people in Haiti? Last week, the Haitian health ministry said that almost 40 percent of hospitals and other facilities providing beds for treatment have shut down over the last two months. The UN estimates that about 40 percent of healthcare providers have left the country recently due to security concerns. Despite the instability, UN agencies support three hospitals in Port-au-Prince, 13 healthcare facilities, and mobile clinics at seven displacement sites.

The nation is also preparing for the upcoming hurricane season. A tropical storm watch was in effect Tuesday as Hurricane Beryl moved into the Caribbean Sea. Haiti’s National Emergency Operations Center has warned of a hyperactive cyclone season.

How has the United States responded to the crisis? The Biden administration extended Temporary Protected Status on Friday to about 300,000 Haitians already in the United States. Haitian nationals who established residence in the United States on or before June 3 are eligible to apply for protection. The expansion will allow them to stay and work in the United States until Feb. 3, 2026.

Dig deeper: Read Travis Kircher’s interview in World Tour with American missionary Mark Stockeland, who maintains that Haiti is not a lost cause.