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UN voices concern about children in Haiti

Posted January 19, 2010

(UNITED NATIONS) Jan. 18, 2010 - United Nations independent experts Monday voiced concern about the impact of the Haitian earthquake’s impact on the country’s children, who are always the most vulnerable to any disasters.

Children eat a meal distributed by Bolivian UN peacekeepers in Cité Soleil, Haiti,
after a powerful earthquake left food shortages in the area. (UN Photo by Marco Dormino)

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child highlighted that children will inevitably face many hazards in the aftermath of the 7.0 magnitude quake, which struck Haiti on Jan. 12, and is believed to have impacted one third of its nine-million strong population.
 
“Children are always deeply affected by major disasters of this type, and almost half of the Haitian population are children,” the experts said in a news release.
 
Although the international community’s initial response to the quake is encouraging, the Committee called for special attention to be paid to the needs of children.

Access to clean water and sanitation is crucial to avoiding the spread of communicable diseases, which can be especially dangerous to young people.
 
It is also vital that food aid reaches children, not just those who are best placed to receive it – usually adults.
 
The Committee also expressed its concern over the thousands of children who have been separated by their families in the earthquake. “It is imperative they are identified as soon as possible and provided with care and protection both to avoid further trauma and to minimize violations of their rights.”
 
There have been reports of looting and violence in Port-au-Prince, underscoring the need to protect children from exploitation, including sexual abuse and abductions masquerading as adoptions.

The 18-member Committee on Rights of the Child monitors a key global treaty enshrining the rights of children, which has been ratified by 193 States so far.

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