Child gang recruitment soars in Haiti

By Phoebe Martel

Children now comprise nearly half of all gang members in Haiti, where armed groups control huge swaths of the island nation.

According to a recent report from UNICEF, the UN’s children's agency, the number of minors recruited into warring gangs surged by 70% in the past year alone. Since 2018, when a presidential assassination catalyzed political collapse and a brutal gang war, the Haitian people have been subject to an ever-intensifying humanitarian crisis.

Extreme food shortages, civilian casualties, and mass displacement characterize everyday life. Among the 700.000 Haitians displaced by the conflict are an estimated 365,00 minors, many of whom live in makeshift shelters in the capital city, Port-au-Prince.

Schools remain closed, and many children are separated from their families. In a country where most live on less than $4 a day, gang recruiters prey on youth as young as eight years old by promising thousands of dollars in financial incentives. Gunmen threaten physical violence if children refuse to join.

“Children in Haiti are trapped in a vicious cycle – recruited into the very armed groups that are fueling their desperation,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russel said in a statement.

At the same time, sexual assault and gender-based violence are rampant and disproportionately affect young women and girls.

A November 25 report from Human Rights Watch detailed how gang members commit horrific acts of sexual violence to instill fear in civilian populations. Cases involving children are up by 1,000 percent, compared to the same period in 2023.