Haiti: Gangs are now recruiting children, UN sounds the alarm

The UN office in Haiti expressed its concern on Wednesday about the recruitment of children by gangs. The United Nations representation in Port-au-Prince is concerned about this recruitment, which constitutes « one of the six serious violations of children’s rights.

For several decades, armed gangs have been operating in the poor neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince and have drastically increased their hold throughout the country in recent years, multiplying murders and kidnappings. At the end of April, a video circulated on social networks showing a child of about ten years old, his face masked, displaying a large-caliber automatic weapon.

@BINUH_UN condamne la violence des gangs armés depuis le 24 avril qui affecte les communes du Nord & Nord-Est de Port-au-Prince, tuant des dizaines d’Haïtiens et blessant et déplaçant des milliers d’autres.

— BINUH (@BINUH_UN) May 4, 2022

The UN has denounced the recruitment of children into organized crime, while gang clashes are now also paralyzing the northern and eastern suburbs of Port-au-Prince. The local office condemned « the violence of armed gangs since April 24, […] killing dozens of Haitians and injuring and displacing thousands more.

Between April 24 and May 2, at least 39 people were killed, 68 injured and 8 missing in the area. At least 9,000 residents have been forced to flee these areas because of the violence, according to Haitian civil protection. « 48 schools, 5 medical centers and 8 markets have been closed due to the situation, » said authorities.

An accurate human toll is still impossible to establish because medical and charity teams cannot go to these neighborhoods, where shootings resound daily. The national police and the government have not yet commented on the outbreak of violence, which is currently preventing any safe exit from the capital by road.