(United Nations) Shooting, looting, kidnappings… In Haiti, schools, which until then were a “respected refuge”, are now being targeted and armed violence targeting them has even increased ninefold in one year, lamented UNICEF on Thursday.
“In Haiti, schools have always been considered and respected as places of refuge, but in recent months they have become the targets of violence,” said Bruno Maes, UNICEF representative in this gangrenous Caribbean country, in a press release. by gang violence.
Seventy-two schools (up to high school) have been targeted by violence since the start of the school year in October, according to the UN children’s organization, compared to eight during the same period a year ago.
“This includes at least 13 schools targeted by armed groups, one school burned down, one student killed and at least two staff members kidnapped, according to information from UNICEF partners,” the statement said.
During looting, a wide variety of equipment is stolen, from desks and computers to batteries and solar panels. Not to mention the bags of rice or corn from the canteen, crucial in a country where half the population suffers from food insecurity.
“In some urban areas of the country, armed groups see the looting of schools as a lucrative alternative to other forms of extortion and crime,” Bruno Maes castigated. “It has to stop. Attacking schools has a huge impact on children’s safety, well-being and ability to learn. »
One in four schools has remained closed since October, according to the statement. And in recent weeks, many school leaders have decided to close.
“Schools are no longer spared”, regretted Bruno Maes. And “a child who is afraid to go to school is all the more at risk of being recruited by armed groups”.
The UN recently expressed alarm at record gang violence, which has reached levels “not seen in decades” in Haiti.