Mr. Chair and honourable members, thank you once again for the opportunity for UNICEF to appear before the subcommittee today to speak to the situation in Haiti. My name is Geeta Narayan, and I've been the representative of UNICEF in Haiti for the last two years.
First, allow me to say that Canada has been an important partner to UNICEF in Haiti. Over the past five years, Canada has supported UNICEF programs across health, nutrition, water and sanitation, immunization and child protection, with approximately $32 million Canadian.
This support has made a practical difference, but the scale of the current triple crisis is increasing faster than the response. Haiti is experiencing a political crisis, a security crisis and a humanitarian crisis. From UNICEF's perspective, it is also a child protection crisis.
In Haiti today, around 1.47 million people are internally displaced, including over 751,000 girls and boys. Each displacement increases the risk of family separation, exploitation, violence, disease, psychological distress and prolonged interruption of learning.
Today, nearly one in two Haitians requires humanitarian assistance. Violence and displacement are disrupting children's access to education, health care, protection and other essential services, as 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, is under the control of armed groups.
Children are increasingly exposed to violence. UNICEF reported earlier this year that the recruitment and use of children by armed groups has increased dramatically, by an estimated 200% in 2025 alone. Girls face heightened risks of sexual violence, exploitation, forced association with armed actors and stigma when they return to their communities, while boys are facing recruitment, detention and exposure to armed violence.
The systems meant to protect children are under extreme pressure. Violence, displacement, poverty and migration are tearing families apart, while schools, health facilities, water and sanitation systems, social services, justice services and child protection actors are struggling to function.
I recently visited CERMICOL, a detention centre that is supposed to have a capacity of 100 children. Today, it holds around 100 children, many in prolonged pretrial detention, alongside approximately 600 adults. The conditions are deeply alarming.
Since the handover protocol was signed in January 2024, UNICEF, the Haitian government and civil society partners have verified and supported more than 600 children associated with armed groups with specialized protection and reintegration services. Canada's support to the PREJEUNES program is helping to prevent recruitment, support safe release and provide for the psychosocial care, education and reintegration of these children.
During a visit to a transit centre in Port-au-Prince a few weeks ago, I met Alexandre, a 14-year-old boy who fled violence at home, lived on the streets and was later used by an armed group to collect information. His story illustrates how easily children can be drawn into exploitation when protection systems break down.
Humanitarian action alone cannot resolve this crisis. Children need protection now, and they need systems that can endure. What we need to do is clear.
First, child protection must remain at the centre of engagement on Haiti, including discussions related to security support. International security assistance should include child protection safeguards; mandatory training on child rights for all members of security forces, such as the gang suppression force; measures to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse; and safe handover procedures for children encountered during security operations.
Second, we need to sustain flexible, humanitarian and development funding. Continued investment in education, health, water, social services and community-based protection is essential to preventing a lost generation of Haitian children.
Third, we must continue to support Haitian-led solutions. Throughout this crisis, Haitian institutions, local organizations, women's groups, youth groups and community actors have remained on the front lines responding to the needs of children. Strengthening their capacity, leadership and long-term resilience is essential to any sustainable solution.
The crisis in Haiti is often described through insecurity, but for children, it is measured in missed school days, untreated illnesses—