Each day, as reports of the deteriorating conditions in Haiti grow worse, we grieve for that country which, we pointed out last week, has never been given a chance to enjoy the freedom for which its ancestors boldly fought more than 200 years ago.

The savagery — murders, rape, kidnappings, looting, extortion — being unleashed on the Haitian people by heavily armed gangs has been having an immense impact on children, so much so that a survey by the Integrated Food Security Classification Framework has found a 19 per cent increase in the number of Haitian children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) so far this year.

According to the survey, armed violence in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, has hampered the delivery of aid and shaken an already fragile health system, posing a serious threat to the lives of more than 125,000 children.

“Violence and instability in Haiti have consequences that go far beyond the risks associated with the violence itself. The situation is creating a health and nutrition crisis that could cost the lives of countless children,” Ms Catherine Russell, executive director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), is reported as saying.

Ms Russell stated that vital supplies are ready to be delivered if the violence stops and roads and hospitals reopen.

However, the gangsters, it appears, are unyielding.

We are not convinced that their aim, as they claim, is to see the back of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. If that were so, they would have ceased their campaign of bloodshed after the March 11 Caricom meeting in Jamaica which resulted in Mr Henry agreeing to step down on the establishment of a transitional presidential council that will pave the way for a peaceful transition of power.

Instead, the gangsters have continued to unleash violence on people, hospitals, State institutions, and schools. Just last week Mr William O’Neill, the United Nations expert on human rights in Haiti, was reported as saying that two schools had been set on fire.

UNICEF also reported that it has been unable to store, deliver, and resupply much-needed aid to the population, and last month one of its 17 containers was looted from the Caribbean Port Service in Port-au-Prince.

Those are not the actions of men who wish to see an end to the crisis. They and the people funding them are intent on destroying the country.

Countless studies have shown that violence poses serious consequences to the health and well-being of children. Exposure to violence more likely results in them suffering a host of physical and mental health problems, including impaired social, emotional and cognitive development, drug and alcohol abuse, depression, post-traumatic disorders, delinquency and, most troubling, engaging in criminal behaviour.

Just over a week ago, when 59 severely disabled orphans arrived in Jamaica after being rescued by Mustard Seed Communities, the Jamaican Government and Sentinel Foundation, Ms Susan Krabacher, the operator of HaitiChildren which runs the orphanage, told this newspaper that the gangsters are “agents of Satan”.

We can’t disagree with her.

The damaging effects that the madness in Haiti is having on the children there should be at the forefront of the minds of the individuals and organisations trying to end the crisis.