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In a briefing on Friday, UN Spokesperson St\u00e9phane Dujarric reported that more than 1,600 men, women and children have fled.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Two-thirds are seeking refuge<\/strong> with host families and over 500 sheltering in three newly established displacement sites, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).<\/p>\n The situation for children remains particularly dire. The number of internally displaced children in Haiti has increased by nearly 50 per cent since September, now exceeding half a million.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n UNICEF reports that approximately\u00a0one in eight children in the country is now displaced.<\/p>\n The agency also warns of a 70 per cent rise in child recruitment by gangs over the past year,\u00a0<\/strong>with up to half of gang members in Haiti now estimated to be children.<\/p>\n Speaking from a prison in Port-au-Prince where dozens of children are being held, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder described the growing desperation:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m in a prison in Port-au-Prince where dozens of children are being held,\u201d<\/strong> he said, explaining that 85 per cent of this capital city is controlled by armed groups.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, child recruitment into armed groups is rampant. Children get recruited. It\u2019s out of desperation. It\u2019s out of manipulation, out of being engulfed in violence<\/strong>,\u201d he emphasised.<\/p>\n Mentioning a 16-year-old girl who dreamt of being a paediatrician, but was caught up in a raid, he said: \u201cThe point of this is that childhood should not be a gift.<\/strong> Childhood is a right.\u201d<\/p>\n The crisis is further aggravated by forced returns from neighbouring countries.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the first two weeks of January alone, nearly 15,000 Haitians were returned from the Dominican Republic,<\/strong> adding to the 200,000 people deported across the region last year.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, natural disasters have worsened conditions across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since November, nearly<\/strong> 330,000 people<\/strong> have been affected by floods in six of Haiti\u2019s departments, leaving dozens dead and damaging or destroying nearly 50,000 homes.<\/strong><\/p>\nChildren at risk<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u2018Childhood is a right\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Humanitarian needs grow<\/strong><\/h2>\n
UN appeals\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n