Haitian children face greatest challenges to life in Western Hemisphere

"Haitian children face greatest challenges to life in Western Hemisphere" announced a United Nations press release on Wednesday.

More children are likely to die during early childhood in Haiti than in any other country in the Western Hemisphere, with one in eight likely to succumb before the age of five, according to a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report released today.

The UNICEF Country Representative for Haiti, Adriano Gonzalez-Regueral, said that,

While Haiti accounts for only two per cent of births in Latin America and the Caribbean, it accounts for 19 per cent of deaths for children under five. It has by far the highest death rates for children under five, with 117 children dying for every 1,000 births.

He praised the "public commitment" of the incoming president, Rene Preval (whom the U.S. opposed), "to improving the lives of Haiti's children." The comment implicitly contrasts Preval with the U.S. steward, in power since Aristide was compelled to leave by Western powers in February 2004.

[HAITIAN CHILDREN FACE GREATEST CHALLENGES TO LIFE IN WESTERN HEMISPHERE, UN News, Mar 22 2006]