Multiple Vulnerabilities of Children in Haiti

Background: The study reports on the condition of vulnerable children in Haiti prior to the earthquake. Children in countries that are experiencing political turmoil, war, and natural disasters are likely to be subject to a wide range of vulnerabilities, thus requiring a broad range of interventions designed to address both economic disadvantage and psychological trauma. This study examined the extent to which children who are not in school are also subject to other vulnerabilities, such as crime and insecurity and higher levels of post traumatic stress disorder among adults in the household.

Methodology: Our results are based on a survey of households in the greater Port-au-Prince that were randomly selected using GPS survey methodology. In 2009, 2800 households were surveyed, with one member of each household randomly selected to respond to the survey. The survey was conducted in person in Creole by Haitian interviewers. The survey collected extensive data on the type and number of victimizations, the housing, employment, and income situation of the households, plus a wide range of detail on adult and child household members. Our results are based on bivariate analyses and logistic regressions, where the unit of analysis were all children aged 6 to 17 in the household (N=5479).

Research Question and Hypotheses: Our research question centers on whether children who are not in school are subject to a range of vulnerabilities beyond the disadvantages associated with lack of formal education. We hypothesized that children who are not in school are also more likely to live in households with higher reported rates of victimization and post traumatic stress disorder among adult household members.

Results: Bivariate analyses indicated that children who were not in school lived in households where the respondent reported higher levels of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; where at least one household member was victimized in the past year, where total adult household income was less than 50% of income in other households and where reported levels of insecurity and crime were higher compared with households where children were in school. Logistic regression results were similar to the bivariate results and indicated that girls and children who experienced a sexual assault in the past year were less likely to be attending school. Higher levels of education of the adult respondent, higher levels of income, and lower levels of reported insecurity were associated with higher odds that a child attended school as were gifts received from outside the household.

Conclusions: Our results strongly suggest that children living in countries subject to political unrest, war, and natural disasters are subject to wide range of disadvantages that are likely to undermine their ability to function effectively. We found that not only were children who were not in school subject to more economic hardship than other children, but they were also more likely themselves to have been victimized and to live in households where other household members had been victimized. Thus, to be successful, any interventions will need to target psychological as well as economic need.