At least seventy-two schools (including high schools) have been the target of violent attacks in the four months since the start of the school year in October, compared to eight attacks in the same period last year, UNICEF summarized.
Fires, looting, kidnappings… In Haiti, schools, once safe havens that enjoyed “respect”, have now turned into targets and attacks by armed groups against them have increased ninefold in a year, the United Nations Fund said yesterday for Children (UNICEF).
“In Haiti, schools have always been considered safe havens and respected, but in recent months, they have become the targets of armed attacks,” said Bruno Mas, the head of UNICEF’s branch in the armored-plagued Caribbean country, in a press release released by UNICEF. gangs.
At least seventy-two schools (including high schools) have been the target of violent attacks in the four months since the start of the school year in October, compared to eight attacks in the same period last year, UNICEF summarized.
The count includes “at least 13 schools targeted by gunmen, one school set on fire, one student killed and at least two faculty members kidnapped, according to UNICEF partners,” according to the statement.
A large amount of equipment of various kinds was stolen in the looting, from desks and desks to computers and photocopiers, from batteries to photovoltaic panels. Not counting canteen bags of rice or corn, critical food in a country where half the population is food insecure.
“In some urban areas, armed gangs see school looting as a lucrative alternative to other forms of extortion and crime,” Mr Mas pointed out. “This has to stop. Attacks on schools have a huge impact on children’s safety, well-being and ability to learn,” added the Belgian.
One in four schools have been forced to close since October, the statement said. And, in recent weeks, many principals have decided to close their schools for the safety of their students.
“Schools are no longer spared” from the wave of violence that has turned into gangrene in the country, Bruno Mas underlined. And “the child who is afraid to go to school is at even greater risk of being recruited by armed gangs,” he added.
The UN recently highlighted that record-breaking gang violence and the humanitarian crisis are at levels Haiti has not seen in “decades”.
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