Children account for about half of armed group members in Haiti, with many forced into combat roles, used as couriers, lookouts, porters or exploited for domestic labour. Child participation in gang activities surged 700 percent in the first three months of the year compared with the same period last year. Grave violations against minors exceeded 2,000 in 2024, a 500 percent increase from the previous year. Criminal organisations and gangs expanded power after the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, driving nearly 1.3 million people from their homes, about half of them young. Gangs control much of Port-au-Prince, disrupting services and inflating essential costs.
US and Panama have proposed a security force meant to counter gangs, despite setbacks with an existing Kenya-led policing operation.
We estimate that children currently account for a staggering 50 percent of the members of the armed groups active today, Russell said. Children are being forced into combat roles, directly participating in armed confrontations. Others are being used as couriers, lookouts, porters to carry weapons or are exploited for domestic labour. She added that the number of child recruits appears to be rapidly rising.
Child participation in gang activities, including recruitment, had surged by 700 percent in the first three months of the year, compared with the same period last year. That coincided with an increase in the number of human rights violations committed against children in Haiti. In 2024, the UN reported more than 2,000 grave violations against minors, an increase of 500 percent from the previous year.
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