Getting children back to school in deadly gang ravaged Haiti
Against the backdrop of a humanitarian crisis and gang violence in
Haiti, UN agencies are warning that children are suffering not just from a lack
of schooling but also through witnessing violence.
As deadly
threats to school security continue in Port-au-Prince, and northern parts of
the Artibonite department, UN News examined the
situation on the ground and how the UN is responding to the worsening
educational crisis.
Tents for people who have fled their homes now occupy Gymnasium
Vincent, a school and sports complex in downtown Port-au-Prince.
Massive school closures
By the end of
January, a total of 900 schools had temporarily closed mainly in
Port-au-Prince, depriving around 200,000 children of their right to education,
according to UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Many other
schools abruptly shut in Port-au-Prince in late February, when armed gangs
coordinated breakouts in jails, freeing around 4,500 prisoners.
Gangs reportedly
now control 80 to 90 per cent of the capital, and in the ensuing chaos, UN
agencies on the ground reported cases of armed groups recruiting
children, spiralling violence, looting and destruction.
“The Haitian
population is caught in the crossfire,” said Catherine Russell, head
of UNICEF. “Spaces for children have been transformed into battlegrounds. Each
passing day brings new deprivations and horrors to the people of Haiti.”
Basic security
is urgently needed for the lifesaving services and for aid workers to reach
those in desperate need, she said, calling for the protection of schools,
hospitals and other critical infrastructure children rely on and for
safeguarding humanitarian spaces.
A children’s playground structure becomes a shelter for people
in the Tabarre area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Classrooms become home
As of late
March, violence had displaced at least 362,000 people, with many trapped in the
besieged capital and thousands finding temporary shelter in public buildings,
including schools.
Each classroom
turned into a temporary home for multiple families. Playgrounds became tented
shelters. Gymnasiums were transformed into open dormitories for those seeking
safety.
“Many schools
are not accessible as violence is ramping up around them,” said UNICEF’s
representative in Haiti, Bruno Maes. “Some are occupied by gangs, others by
displaced people and still more have been looted or destroyed.”
On the afternoon of 25 March, heavily armed groups entered a downtown
Port-au-Prince school and set fire to 23 classrooms. Aid agencies condemned
the incident.
In another
incident in the Port-au-Prince neighbourhood of La Saline, 3,500 children were
trapped in two schools as gangs fought around them. UNICEF engaged with the
armed groups for four days before they could secure the safe release of the
children.
UNICEF has
urged all parties to safeguard students, educators, parents and educational
infrastructure in line with the Safe Schools
Declaration, a global political commitment endorsed by 119 countries,
including Haiti, for better protection measures and support for continuing
education during armed conflicts.
Terrorised and traumatised
“The situation
is desperate for children,” said UNICEF’s Mr. Maes. “Children are killed,
wounded, raped, displaced and denied access to basic services, including
school,” adding that they are “terrorised and traumatised”, some after
witnessing burnt bodies on the streets.
Amid the very
clear dangers, parents “still want to send their children to school”, he said.
“Education is at the heart of every Haitian family; people put a very high
value on it.”
As gangs
continue to expand their control of vital roads and ports, their grip is
extending outside the capital and the threat to school safety is mounting.
Despite this,
the majority of schools outside the troubled gang-controlled areas of
Port-au-Prince and Artibonite are still functioning. Many have admitted
children who have fled because of violence and insecurity, although some parents
are unable to pay school fees due to increasing poverty.
Children in Haiti eat a meal provided as part of WFP's school
feeding programme.
Multipronged response
UN agencies
have been working together to provide lifesaving essentials, like food, water
and shelter, to thousands of Haitians in need and helping to get children back
to school using new approaches.
Efforts
include an International Organization for Migration (IOM) initiative currently providing psychosocial
support to students forced out of school by the violence, and the World Food
Programme (WFP) supports hot meals for 250,000 children across the country.
Part of
UNICEF’s work is assisting families affected by violence and displacement to
reintegrate children into formal education. Where this is not feasible, the
agency works with partners to establish alternative, safe and temporary
learning environments.
Volunteers prepare school meals with locally-grown ingredients
in Gonaives, in northwestern Haiti.
Redefining schools
The goal is to
get children back to learning and into school meal programmes, according to a
UNICEF report, published in French in
late March.
If schools
remain shuttered, distance learning can be deployed via radio, television and
e-learning platforms. UNICEF is collaborating with the Ministry of
Education to find a way to deliver this via Radio Télé Éducative (RTE)
broadcasts on Haiti’s national radio station.
Other opportunities for engaging students during the crisis include boosting capacities at schools currently accommodating displaced pupils.