Violence in Haiti denies many children health care and education, UNICEF says

With malnutrition and disease the major causes of children's deaths in armed conflicts, the violence in Haiti is denying many children basic public services and threatening their lives, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said today.

"Children are always the most vulnerable in conflict situations and Haiti's children were already extremely vulnerable," UNICEF representative Francoise Gruloos said in Port-au-Prince. "We need to make sure these children are protected and not forgotten amidst the civil disorder."

One child in 10 in Haiti dies before the age of five. One in 20 is born underweight and only half receive routine immunization. Meanwhile, schools are being closed in several areas, UNICEF said.

"Schools should be treated as zones of peace," said UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy, speaking from New York. "Especially in times of crisis, schools can provide a safe haven for children. Haiti's children are depending on adults to protect and preserve their future."

A UN inter-agency team that went to assess the humanitarian situation in Port-de-Paix and Cap Haitien on 19 February reported that both towns had severe shortages of fuel and essential medicines, while malnutrition was increasing and prices rising, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said at the daily press briefing.

Distributing food aid "has been complicated by the looting of 800 tons of produce from the World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in Cap Haitien yesterday after rebel forces took over the city," he added.