In the heart of the Caribbean, Haiti is facing a humanitarian crisis of staggering proportions, with children bearing the brunt of a spiraling wave of violence and displacement. According to a series of reports released this week by UNICEF, the number of Haitian children forced from their homes has nearly doubled in just one year, reaching a record 680,000. This sharp rise is just one facet of a deepening emergency that, as UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell put it, is robbing children of their homes, safety, and childhoods.
“Children in Haiti are experiencing violence and displacement at a terrifying scale,” Russell told Reuters. “Each time they are forced to flee, they lose not only their homes but also their chance to go to school, and simply to be children.” The numbers back up her words: more than 3.3 million children—over half of Haiti’s youth population—now require humanitarian assistance, the highest figure ever recorded by the agency.
This unprecedented crisis is the result of overlapping shocks. Decades of political instability, deadly earthquakes, and economic collapse have left Haiti’s institutions fragile and its population vulnerable. But the recent surge in armed gang activity has pushed the country to the brink. Gangs now control over 85 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and key roads, according to the United Nations. The Associated Press reported that in some neighborhoods, gang control reaches as high as 90 percent, effectively cutting families off from food, healthcare, and protection.
The impact has been devastating. Over 2.7 million people—1.6 million of them women and children—are living in areas controlled by armed groups. Internal displacement has surged, with more than 1.3 million Haitians forced from their homes, many seeking refuge in makeshift shelters. The number of such sites has doubled to 246 in just the first half of 2025, and more than 30 percent of these lack basic protective infrastructure, leaving families exposed to further danger.
For children, the crisis is especially acute. Over 1 million are facing critical levels of food insecurity, and UNICEF projects that 288,500 children under the age of five will suffer from acute malnutrition in 2025. “This has to change,” said Geraldine Matha-Pierre, a mother living in a shelter with her two sons after gangs raided their community. “I’m hungry. My kids are hungry.” Matha-Pierre, like countless others, has lost her livelihood and now relies on friends and relatives for food. Her sons missed an entire school year, but she hopes they can return to classes that have just started in October, thanks to a relative’s help.
The education system itself is under siege. In Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, more than 1,600 schools have been forced to close, and 25 have been occupied by gangs, turning classrooms into shelters or battlegrounds. UNICEF reports that at least one in four Haitian children is now out of school, with violence and displacement disrupting education for nearly half a million students. Even outside conflict zones, the cost of education remains a major barrier; only 15 to 20 percent of schools are publicly funded, and families must pay for textbooks and uniforms, according to the UN.
The risks for children go beyond hunger and lost schooling. The UN has verified more than 300 cases of child recruitment by armed groups in the past year—almost double the previous year. “Children as young as 10 are being forced to carry weapons, serve as lookouts or act as human shields,” the UNICEF report found. Girls, in particular, face heightened risks of sexual violence, coercion, and exploitation. “He’s not going to school, he’s not doing anything,” said Jeanette Salomon, whose 20-year-old son has been out of school since their community was overrun by gangs. After losing her younger son to gang violence, Salomon said, “I’m very protective of him, because that’s all I have left.”
Meanwhile, humanitarian agencies are struggling to keep up. Armed violence has forced many organizations to scale back operations, and aid workers often cannot safely reach the most affected communities. UNICEF has treated more than 86,000 children for wasting—a life-threatening form of malnutrition—and provided healthcare to 117,000 people, along with safe water for 140,000. Yet the agency’s programs are severely underfunded. Its appeal for international funding stands at just 13 percent of what’s needed, putting critical support for Haiti’s children at risk.
The international community has taken some steps. Last month, the UN Security Council approved a U.S.-backed plan to expand an international security mission to support Haitian authorities. However, as Reuters reported, the force—launched more than 15 months ago—remains short on funding, personnel, and equipment, limiting its effectiveness on the ground.
UNICEF’s Catherine Russell has issued an urgent call to action. “The children of Haiti cannot wait,” she warned in a statement published by the United Nations. “Like every child, they deserve a chance to be safe, healthy and to live in peace. It is up to us to take action for Haiti’s children now.”
Despite these warnings, the situation on the ground remains dire. Families like that of Caroline Germain, who lost her leg in the 2010 earthquake and now lives in a shelter, face daily uncertainty. “I hope he understands not to get involved in anything stupid,” she said of her 17-year-old son. “There is no one to protect him.”
The future of an entire generation of Haitian children is at stake. Without decisive action—both to address the immediate humanitarian needs and to restore security and stability—millions of children risk growing up in hunger, fear, and without the basic rights to education and protection. As the world watches, the question remains: will help arrive in time?