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Amid Relentless Armed Violence, Collapsing Schools, Hospitals, Haiti Facing 'Perfect Storm of Suffering', Secretary-General Warns Security Council

Meetings Coverage
Security Council

9988th Meeting (AM)

SC/16158
28 August 2025

Children Enduring Record Levels of Forced Recruitment, Sexual Abuse, Hunger

Amid relentless armed violence, collapsing schools and hospitals, and a worsening humanitarian crisis leaving millions at risk, the UN Chief warned the Security Council today that Haiti faces a "perfect storm of suffering", with children enduring unprecedented levels of forced recruitment, sexual violence and hunger.

"Civilians [in Haiti] are under siege," said Secretary-General António Guterres, stressing that State authority is crumbling as gang violence engulfs Port-au-Prince and spreads beyond — paralysing daily life and forcing 1.3 million people to flee. Reports detail rape and sexual violence, repeated attacks on hospitals and schools, and the collapse of the rule of law. With 6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, Haiti ranks among the five global hunger hotspots of "highest concern".

Aid workers, especially local responders, face threats of violence, extortion and kidnapping. Despite the danger, they continue delivering food, water, medicine and shelter — reaching 1.3 million people in the first quarter of this year alone. "Yet, Haiti remains shamefully overlooked and woefully underfunded", he stressed, noting that $908 million is required in 2025 to support 3.9 million people, yet less than 10 per cent has been received — making Haiti the least-funded humanitarian appeal worldwide. "This is not a funding gap. It is a life-and-death emergency," he asserted, urging donors to act before lifesaving operations grind to a halt.

Citing his annual report on children and armed conflict, he said Haiti ranked among the top five countries for grave violations against children in 2024: the UN verified 2,269 such violations against 1,373 children — nearly five times more than the previous year. Children are being abducted, killed, recruited and subjected to horrific sexual violence, including gang rape. "These are crimes that scar bodies, minds and futures," he said. With basic services collapsing and mass displacement worsening, children are left without education, healthcare, or safety.

The 2024 Handover Protocol between the UN and Haiti's Government is "an important step" towards protecting children detained for alleged association with armed groups, he said. However, he warned of the growing threat posed by so-called community self-defence groups — some aligned with police forces — implicated in grave violations, including the summary execution of children. He urged all authorities to implement the Handover Protocol nationwide.

While the political situation remains fragile, there are "emerging signals of hope", including increased cooperation between the President of the Transitional Presidential Council and the Prime Minister, who are leading consultations to advance the political process. Coordinated international security support, he stressed, is essential to bolster national efforts, protect civilians and create conditions for a return to the rule of law and credible, inclusive elections.

Welcoming efforts to advance his proposal to strengthen the Multinational Security Support mission through UN logistical and operational support, he urged the Council to swiftly authorize an international force with UN backing and predictable financing. Security measures, he emphasized, "must go hand-in-hand with increased pressure on those fuelling the violence" through an effective arms embargo and targeted sanctions against gang leaders, financiers and arms traffickers.

"With unity inside the country, and resolve from this Council, the Haitian people can emerge from the perfect storm, begin to turn hardship into hope, and reclaim their future," he concluded.

UN Children's Fund Still Delivering Lifesaving Aid Despite Obstacles

Presenting a detailed briefing on the grave and widespread violations of children's rights, Catherine Russell, Executive Director, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said: "Haiti's children continue to endure unimaginable suffering amidst the brutal armed violence." The recruitment and use of children by armed groups is rampant, she stressed, estimating that children currently account for a staggering 50 per cent of the armed groups' members. Children are being forced into combat roles, directly participating in armed confrontations, and subjected to appalling sexual violence that has reached "unprecedented levels".

In 2024, reported cases of sexual violence against children rose by 1,000 per cent over 2023, she noted, with over a quarter involving gang rapes. "This constitutes a widespread campaign to terrorize communities and inflict lasting physical and psychological trauma on children," she said, emphasizing that girls account for most victims and survivors.

Amid this devastating reality, UNICEF and partners are being denied access to deliver humanitarian assistance. Armed groups, she said, are preventing aid from reaching the 1.6 million children and women in areas under their control. Last month, six UNICEF staff members were taken hostage during a lifesaving mission — although later released, the incident highlights the dangers humanitarian workers face.

Despite these obstacles, UNICEF continues to deliver lifesaving aid. So far this year, together with partners, it has treated 21,000 children for severe wasting, provided healthcare to 117,000 people and ensured access to safe water for 140,000. "Today, I ask all Members of this Council to use all available leverage to protect children and to support concrete actions to prevent further violations," she said.

Silent Condemnation of Entire Generation of Children

The Council then heard from Jean Jean Roosevelt, a musician and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, who stated that "armed violence is tearing Haiti apart like a broken guitar whose strings produce nothing but tears and cries". With armed groups taking over entire neighbourhoods, "children now live in a symphony of fear; every alleyway turned into a dissonant note".

These children, he said, pay the heaviest price: forcibly recruited, abused, and used as cannon fodder, as though their youth no longer held any value. "Schools, once sanctuaries, have become minefields", he added, with classrooms destroyed or turned into shelters for displaced families.

Calling this reality "a silent condemnation of an entire generation", he noted that over 1.5 million children lack regular access to education; 3.3 million — two out of three — depend on humanitarian aid; and 129,000 risk dying of hunger this year. "Behind these figures that we repeat aloud over and over, there is a face, a name, a fragile dream: perhaps that of a little girl who wanted to be a doctor or that of a boy who dreamed of playing the drum at carnival," he said. However, "these dreams are now suspended and suffocated".

"Let us act so that Haiti may once again have schools, hospitals, and safe spaces; so that children no longer live in fear, but in the promise of tomorrow", he urged. Addressing the Council, he pledged: "The children of Haiti have sounded the alarm, raising a cry of urgency. Will you continue to answer it? For the time to come to their aid is not tomorrow, nor the day after... it is now."

Humanitarian Funding Gap Must be Closed

In the ensuing debate, delegates voiced alarm over the plight of Haitian children, with the representative of Panama, President for August, speaking in his national capacity, saying: "Every figure is a story that can still have a different outcome. A recruited child that can go back to school, a girl who survives violence who can receive attention and justice; a baby with serious, acute malnutrition who can still recover if therapeutic milk reaches them in time; a displaced family that can live without fear." On the underfunding of the Haiti humanitarian response plan, he said: "Not closing this gap is not just a technical statistical matter; it is literally the difference between life and death".

Guyana's representative, also speaking for Algeria, Sierra Leone, and Somalia, echoed concerns over the "faltering" humanitarian response, amidst insecurity and access impediments. "The situation is also compounded by the rising deportations of Haitian nationals, which place additional strain on already scarce resources," she said, adding: "Discussions on safety and security must also address challenges to the safety of humanitarian personnel and the continuity of aid operations."

Slovenia's delegate concurred, pointing out that the growing presence and activities of armed gangs in Haiti's key rice-basket region are fuelling famine-like conditions and record-high displacement. Calling for safe humanitarian access to these areas, she said: "Reducing the territorial control of armed gangs in urban hubs, agricultural areas, and along vital transport routes must be an immediate priority to enable and safeguard food production and its unimpeded transport and delivery."

Outrage over Recruitment of Children by Armed Gangs

Spotlighting the plight of children, the United States' delegate echoed other speakers' condemnation of their recruitment by armed gangs, and outlined measures taken by her country, including its designation of Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists. Also commending the Council for its recent designation of those groups, she noted the $5 million reward offered for information leading to the arrest of gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, known as Barbecue.

In a similar vein, the United Kingdom's delegate pointed out that armed gangs are systematically recruiting minors, fuelling a surge in exploitation, sexual violence and abuse. "These atrocities spread fear and inflict lasting trauma on Haiti's young people," he said, stressing the need to re-establish security for Haiti's long-term stability and welcoming the Secretary General's recommendations for enhanced security assistance for Haiti.

The Dominican Republic's representative said that Haiti is a litmus test for the Council's credibility, pointing out that children comprise 30 to 50 per cent of the armed gangs' ranks through forced recruitment. Emphasizing the need for political will and the restoration of security and the rule of law, he called for the Multinational Security Support Mission to be adequately resourced, for humanitarian assistance to be bolstered, and for the reintegration of minors linked to armed gangs to be guaranteed.

Calls for Progress towards Political Transition

On the political front, France's delegate underscored that progress must be made towards a political transition and security conditions established for the holding of elections. To this end, the Council should use all tools at its disposal, including sanctions, to combat gangs and the transnational criminal network fuelling them.

Also on the topic, the Russian Federation's delegate observed that the crisis in Haiti has left "simply no legitimate state authority to speak of", while transitional mechanisms had not garnered requisite support from Haitians. Therefore, conditions for the swift holding of elections and general elections in 2026 had not unfortunately been established. In the areas around the capital, the State is de facto absent and parallel government structures flourish, leading to the intimidation and extortion of the Haitian people.

Role of Multinational Security Support Mission

The representatives of Greece, Pakistan and the Republic of Korea were among many speakers highlighting the need to support the Multinational Security Support Mission, with the latter calling for the acceleration of discussions on the Secretary-General's recommendations to ensure they are reflected as concretely as possible in the upcoming resolution on the renewal of the Support Mission's mandate. "Only then can we provide the people of Haiti with the clarity and support they urgently need," he said.

For his part, China's delegate called on Haitian authorities to increase security inputs and rationalize resource allocation. While commending the Support Mission in helping improve the security situation, he called on the country that initiated it and bears primary responsibility for the situation in Haiti to continue to provide funding and support.

The representative of Barbados, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), called for stronger backing of the Mission as well as the rapid implementation of the Haitian Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan.

Gravity of Crisis Requires Sustained, Coordinated, Adequately Resourced Humanitarian Plan

Haiti's delegate pointed out that while his Government has mobilized resources to help over 200,000 of the most vulnerable families, this is still "largely insufficient". Agricultural production often fails to reach urban centers, exacerbating the crisis. Resolving the humanitarian crisis is inextricably linked to addressing Haiti's severe security challenges, he said, urging regional and international partners to prioritize support that enables displaced populations to return home and reduces their long-term dependence on aid.

"The gravity of the situation in Haiti requires a coordinated, integrated and sustainable humanitarian response plan with adequate and sufficient resources to address the multiple challenges," he stressed.