{"id":302239,"date":"2025-09-01T12:00:45","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T11:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=302239"},"modified":"2025-08-31T13:32:51","modified_gmt":"2025-08-31T12:32:51","slug":"the-people-of-haiti-are-in-a-perfect-storm-of-suffering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/09\/the-people-of-haiti-are-in-a-perfect-storm-of-suffering\/","title":{"rendered":"The People of Haiti Are in a Perfect Storm of Suffering\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>31 Aug 2025\u00a0<\/em>&#8211;\u00a0State authority is crumbling across Haiti while gang violence engulfs the capital Port-au-Prince and beyond, \u201c<em>paralysing daily life and forcing families to flee,<\/em>\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sg\/en\/content\/sg\/biography\" ><span lang=\"EN-US\">UN Secretary-General<\/span><\/a> Ant\u00f3nio Guterres <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sg\/en\/content\/sg\/statement\/2025-08-28\/secretary-generals-remarks-the-security-council-haiti-trilingual-delivered-scroll-down-for-all-english-and-all-french\" ><span lang=\"EN-US\">told the<\/span><\/a> Security Council on Thursday <em>[<span class=\"views-field views-field-field-news-date\"><span class=\"field-content\"><time class=\"datetime\" datetime=\"2025-08-28T12:00:00Z\">28 August 2025<\/time><\/span><\/span>]<\/em>.<\/p>\n<section class=\"region region-before-content\">\n<div id=\"block-views-block-story-photo-block-image\" class=\"views-element-container block block-views block-views-block-story-photo-block-image\">\n<div class=\"block-content block__content\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"view view-story-photo view-id-story_photo view-display-id-block_image js-view-dom-id-c135cbe9ee2792963aaab2518f5d389a4de29133070a5bc82098a8ed18e39292\">\n<div class=\"view-content\">\n<div class=\"views-row\">\n<div class=\"node node--type-news-story node--view-mode-top-image clearfix container\">\n<div class=\"story-media\">\n<div class=\"media-image\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-news-story-photo field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"A mother and her child, displaced by gang violence, sleep on the bare floor of a school in Haiti.\" src=\"https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/Collections\/Embargoed\/11-07-2025-IOM-Haiti-03.jpg\/image1170x530cropped.jpg\" alt=\"A mother and her child, displaced by gang violence, sleep on the bare floor of a school in Haiti.\" width=\"447\" height=\"202\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"story-caption\">\n<div class=\"context-caption_credit type-entermedia_image media media--type-entermedia-image media--view-mode-caption-credit\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-authors field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>\u00a9 IOM\/Antoine Lemonnier | A mother and her child, displaced by gang violence, sleep on the bare floor of a school in Haiti.<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div id=\"main-wrapper\" class=\"layout-main-wrapper clearfix\">\n<div id=\"main-container\" class=\"container layout-main-container\">\n<div class=\"row row-offcanvas row-offcanvas-left clearfix\">\n<div class=\"minimal-share-wrapper col-lg-3\">\n<p class=\"minimal-share\"><em>Six million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, while 1.3 million people \u2013 half of them children \u2013 having been forced to flee their homes<\/em><strong>,<\/strong> he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"section\">\n<div id=\"block-views-block-content-fields-block-body\" class=\"views-element-container block block-views block-views-block-content-fields-block-body\">\n<div class=\"block-content block__content\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"view view-content-fields view-id-content_fields view-display-id-block_body js-view-dom-id-4d850c4bd304a854acd100b3e08d95f09036a28f49753a79ee9c92b3bf45322e\">\n<div class=\"view-content\">\n<div class=\"views-row\">\n<div class=\"views-field views-field-field-news-story\">\n<div class=\"field-content\">\n<div class=\"paragraph paragraph--type--one-column-text paragraph--view-mode--default\">\n<div class=\"_none\">\n<div class=\"w-100\">\n<div class=\"layout row layout-builder__layout\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<div class=\"_none block block-layout-builder block-field-block-paragraph-one-column-text-field-text-column\">\n<div class=\"block-content block__content\">\n<div class=\"clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text-column field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item\">\n<h3><strong>\u2018Shamefully overlooked\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Haiti now ranks among the five hunger hotspots worldwide that are of \u201chighest concern,\u201d said the UN chief.<\/p>\n<p>Yet it remains the world\u2019s least funded humanitarian appeal. Less than 10 per cent of the $908 million needed has been received.<\/p>\n<p>The UN chief lamented the level of international neglect, describing Haiti as <strong>\u201cshamefully overlooked and woefully underfunded,\u201d<\/strong> as armed groups continue to block humanitarian access and attack aid workers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"main-wrapper\" class=\"layout-main-wrapper clearfix\">\n<div id=\"main-container\" class=\"container layout-main-container\">\n<div class=\"row row-offcanvas row-offcanvas-left clearfix\">\n<section class=\"section\">\n<div id=\"block-views-block-content-fields-block-body\" class=\"views-element-container block block-views block-views-block-content-fields-block-body\">\n<div class=\"block-content block__content\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"view view-content-fields view-id-content_fields view-display-id-block_body js-view-dom-id-4d850c4bd304a854acd100b3e08d95f09036a28f49753a79ee9c92b3bf45322e\">\n<div class=\"view-content\">\n<div class=\"views-row\">\n<div class=\"views-field views-field-field-news-story\">\n<div class=\"field-content\">\n<div class=\"paragraph paragraph--type--one-column-text paragraph--view-mode--default\">\n<div class=\"_none\">\n<div class=\"w-100\">\n<div class=\"layout row layout-builder__layout\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<div class=\"_none block block-layout-builder block-field-block-paragraph-one-column-text-field-text-column\">\n<div class=\"block-content block__content\">\n<div class=\"clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text-column field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item\">\n<p>Due to the lack of resources, around 1.7 million people risk receiving no humanitarian assistance at all.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not a funding gap. It is a life-and-death emergency,\u201d he said, urging donors to act before lifesaving operations grind to a halt.<\/p>\n<p>Across the country, basic services have collapsed, and mass displacement has left children without education, healthcare or any sense of safety.<\/p>\n<p>As of April, gang violence had interrupted the schooling of some 243.000 children, as attacks on schools continued.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Unimaginable suffering\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The head of the UN Children\u2019s Fund <strong>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/\" class=\"ext\" title=\"(opens in a new window)\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">UNICEF<\/a>),<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/about-unicef\/executive-director\" class=\"ext\" title=\"(opens in a new window)\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u00a0Catherine Russell<\/a><\/strong>, told ambassadors Haiti\u2019s youth are enduring \u201cunimaginable suffering amidst the brutal armed violence.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"align-right context-un_news_large_credit type-twitter media media--type-twitter media--view-mode-un-news-large-credit\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-media-twitter field--type-string field--label-visually_hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__label visually-hidden\">Tweet URL<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>She noted that last year the UN in Haiti had verified more than 2,000 grave violations against children \u2013 a nearly 500 per cent increase on the previous year.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Caribbean nation last year was among the five worst offenders worldwide, Ms. Russell added, including cases of summary execution.<\/p>\n<p><em>Even more concerning, she said, was the 700 per cent increase in cases of recruitment and use of children by armed groups, alongside a 54 per cent increase in killing and maiming,<\/em> according to Ms. Russell.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Children now account for a staggering 50 per cent of all active gang members in Haiti.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI ask Members of this Council to use all available leverage to protect children,\u201d she said, and to support \u201cconcrete actions\u201d which will prevent violations from spiralling still further.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Signals of hope\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Despite the bleak outlook across Haiti and soaring levels of violence and lawlessness, \u201cthere are emerging signals of hope,\u201d said the Secretary-General.<\/p>\n<p>Closer coordination between the Prime Minister\u2019s Task Force, the Haitian National Police and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/main.un.org\/securitycouncil\/\" >Security Council<\/a>-backed Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) is improving operations on the ground, he said.<\/p>\n<p>But, more decisive international support is required to protect and expand these fragile gains.<\/p>\n<p>The Kenyan-led mission was authorised by the Security Council in October 2023 and aims to help over-stretched Haitian authorities stem the gang violence and restore national security, especially in the capital.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Guterres welcomed efforts by the Security Council to advance his proposal to strengthen the MSS through UN logistical and operation support, and urged ambassadors \u201cto act without delay and authorise an international force, supported by the UN through logistical and operational backing, and predictable financing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/human-wrongs-watch.net\/2025\/08\/31\/the-people-of-haiti-are-in-a-perfect-storm-of-suffering\/\" >Go to Original &#8211; human-wrongs-watch.net<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>State authority is crumbling across Haiti while gang violence engulfs the capital Port-au-Prince and beyond, \u201cparalysing daily life and forcing families to flee,\u201d UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres told the UNSC on 28 Aug 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":256683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[3143,2642,101,100,1268,1675,975,541,99,70,92,172],"class_list":["post-302239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latin-america-and-the-caribbean","tag-anti-hegemony","tag-anti-imperialism","tag-cultural-violence","tag-direct-violence","tag-european-union","tag-france","tag-haiti","tag-latin-america-caribbean","tag-structural-violence","tag-usa","tag-violent-conflict","tag-west"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302239"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":302241,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302239\/revisions\/302241"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}