(dpa) - The United Nations children's agency UNICEF on Friday said that children were especially at risk in Haiti, where food riots have created an even worse situation for many already living below the poverty line.
UNICEF said that in places where calm had been restored, the situation was extremely "precarious," adding that barriers had been erected in the streets and the schools were closed.
"The situation for Haitian children is one of the worst in the world. More than half the population live on a dollar a day," said UNICEF spokeswoman Veronique Taveau.
Children make up almost half of population in Haiti, where one child in 12 dies before the age of five through avoidable illness and malnutrition, UNICEF said. It has the highest infant mortality in the Western hemisphere. More than 200,000 children had lost one or both parents to AIDS.