Fondasyon “Zanmi Timoun” mande Leta Ayisyen pou l pran responsablite pou anpeche timoun yo viktim agresyon inosan.

The date of June 4 marks the International Day of Innocent Child Victims of Aggression, a date on which the United Nations has chosen to remind us that young people continue to suffer physical, mental and even emotional violence by the thousands, particularly in Haiti where they are delivered to themselves. In recent times, the observation has been obvious. The country is experiencing a situation of generalized crisis, with scenes of violent crime playing in a loop on social networks all day long. This wave of crime leaves all layers of Haitian society without respite. One of the concerns of the “Zanmi Timoun” Foundation is the dizzying increase in cases of violence against children, in urban areas and also in rural areas.
Furthermore, the armed conflicts which are plaguing Haitian society make the lives of citizens dramatic, in particular that of children, who increasingly face danger. The “Zanmi Timoun” Foundation notes that street children are considerably reduced without however total support for them by the Haitian state. Where have they gone? Would they not be enrolled in armed groups? These are the questions that sparkle within the “Zanmi Timoun” Foundation and which give rise to an obligation to investigate among street children.
During the first five (5) months of 2022, the “Zanmi Timoun” Foundation monitored a set of cases of violations against children which require special attention from the Haitian state, guarantor of the fundamental rights of children. . Two children aged 3 and 4 were kidnapped by armed groups on Wednesday February 2, 2022 on the Caradeux road; a 16-year-old girl was killed on the evening of Friday February 4, 2022 in Canapé-vert; nine (9) babies thrown at sea on the orders of a Captain on Wednesday March 9, 2022 by Haitian migrants who took to the sea from Jérémie; an incarcerated minor died in his cell at Jérémie prison on Wednesday April 13, 2022; a 4-year-old girl was raped by a 39-year-old man in Duchity in Grand’Anse on March 8, 2022; a school principal made offensive remarks to the detriment of a student following the broadcast of audio on Radio Caraibes on Monday May 9, 2022; Around 10 children were killed in 10 days during the armed gang war in Plaine du Cul-de-Sac which began on Sunday April 24.
The “Zanmi Timoun” Foundation, being an organization for the defense and promotion of children’s rights, takes the opportunity to urge the country’s authorities to take their responsibilities, in order to divert the violent extremists who target them, and prosecute all perpetrators and co-perpetrators of acts of violence against children for their crimes. On the one hand, they must ensure that schools are free from violence and inhuman treatment and are welcoming places of learning for children. On the other hand, support healthy activities intended for young people, for their constructive integration into society, and to stem crime and recurrent violence.

Done in Port-au-Prince, June 3, 2022

Joseph Richard FORTUNE
Communication manager
(509) 3187 73 63