UN maternity aid looted in Port-au-Prince as Haiti crisis deepens
CNN
A UNICEF container carrying essential items for maternal, neonatal, and child survival – including resuscitators and critical supplies – was looted in Haiti’s capital city Port-au-Prince early Saturday morning, a statement read, as gang violence continues to escalate amid worsening humanitarian conditions.
A container carrying essential items for newborn babies and their mothers – including resuscitators and other critical supplies – was looted in Port-au-Prince on Saturday, aid agency UNICEF said in a statement, as gang violence and a humanitarian crisis worsen in the Haitian capital. In addition to maternity and neonatal supplies, the looted container also held “early childhood development and education and water equipment,” UNICEF said. More than 260 humanitarian-owned containers at the port are now controlled by armed groups that breached the main port last week, the UN’s child agency added. The theft of the supplies “occurs at a critical moment when children need them the most,” said UNICEF representative Bruno Maes in Haiti. “Looting of supplies that are essential for life saving support for children must end immediately and humanitarian access must remain safe,” Maes added. “Depriving children of vital health supplies amidst a collapsing healthcare system is a violation of their rights.” Since January, violence in Haiti has exacerbated an already crumbling healthcare system. Three out of four women and children in the Port-au-Prince area do not have access to basic public health and nutrition, according to UNICEF.

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