Gang recruitment of Haitian children soars by 70 percent: UN
Al Jazeera
Haitian gangs increasingly target children, using them as informants, fighters, and forced labor, says UNICEF report.
An unprecedented number of children have been recruited by gangs in Haiti, the UN agency for the protection of children (UNICEF) has said, underscoring a worsening protection crisis in the violence-ridden Caribbean island.
In a report released on Monday, UNICEF said the recruitment of minors increased by 70 percent last year.
“Children in Haiti are trapped in a vicious cycle – recruited into the very armed groups that are fueling their desperation, and the numbers are growing,” said UNICEF executive director and Inter-Agency Standing Committee principal advocate for Haiti, Catherine Russell. “This unacceptable trend must be reversed by ensuring children’s safety and welfare are prioritized by all parties.”
The report comes as violence in Haiti shows no sign of abating with poverty deepening and turmoil increasing amid political instability. Gangs, which control 85 percent of the capital Port-au-Prince, aim to seize total control of the city.
Young boys are often used as informers “because they’re invisible and not seen as a threat”, said Geeta Narayan, UNICEF’s representative in Haiti. Some are given weapons and forced to participate in attacks. Girls, meanwhile, are forced to cook, clean and even used as so-called “wives” for gang members.
