Haiti’s Gangs Exploiting Children for Crime and Abuse, HRW Warns Amid Deadly Attack That Left 115 Dead

Human Rights Watch, a U.S.-based organization, said that Haiti’s criminal gangs lure more children to lives of crime and exploitation, while hunger and poverty drive youth to despair. HRW reports that hundreds, if not thousands, of children, have joined violent gangs over the past few months. Members force youngsters to commit crimes and subject them to violence and sexual abuse.

 

According to local officials, the bloodshed and political turmoil that have beleaguered Haiti are not abating. A single gang-related attack in Pont-Sonde last week, located about 40 miles away from Port-au-Prince’s capital, left 115 dead and 16 seriously injured.

 

Myriam Fidevre, mayor of Saint-Marc in the vicinity, told The Associated Press that the death toll of the attack on Oct. 3, would probably rise since authorities had not yet been able to reach certain areas of Pont-Sonde. According to an earlier statement by the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights, at least three infants died in the attack.

 

HRW’s report, published on Wednesday, says that the gangs began to recruit more children in response to the law enforcement actions against their members conducted by the Haiti Police as well as the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM) supported by the United Nations. Recently, the United Nations approved the MSS mission. The force, led by Kenya, has been deployed only partially.

 

HRW reports that criminal gangs control almost 80% of Port-au-Prince and joining them is often the only way for children to get food and shelter. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, around 125,000 Haitian children are suffering from acute hunger. Around 2.7 million people, including 500,000 kids, live in territory controlled by gangs.

 

 

HRW reports that almost a third (33%) of gangs are now believed to be made up of children. HRW was told by a humanitarian worker that gangs use social media platforms, including TikTok, to recruit young people.

 

HRW reported that girls are sexually abused and then exploited as domestic workers by gangs.

 

HRW quoted a humanitarian worker who said, “The [gang] leader forces them to perform sexual acts with them or their other members while others are watching.” They tell them they are their girlfriends, and they must obey, but they exploit them for their pleasure and consumption.

 

HRW reports that gangs use boys to carry out errands and act as informants to gather information about police activity. They may also be commissioned to help with more violent crimes such as kidnappings and murders. They are often fed and paid for this service, which they use to help support their families.

 

Once child soldiers are recruited, gang members will often use violence against them. They may beat and threaten them if they refuse to obey orders. HRW interviewed a boy who said he joined a street gang when he was 8 years old and an orphan. He claimed he was told to carry a gun on his back.

 

 

The HRW report quotes aid workers who say that girls are rarely offered incentives to reward loyalty. “Instead they are often let go after a while, usually when they become pregnant as a result rape.”

 

After a brief pause, the U.S. Government resumed the deportation of some migrants to Haiti’s capital despite the violence spiraling out of control. However, the Biden administration extended the temporary protected status for Haitians living in the U.S. to 2025.

 

If re-elected in November, former President Donald Trump promised to deport migrants on a large scale, including Haitians.

 

HRW has said that more international aid in Haiti is urgently needed and, in its latest report, the organization calls on Haiti’s transitional administration to give priority to initiatives to protect children. The transitional government took over in April, with the mandate to rebuild Haiti’s civilian government which had been crippled by years of turmoil and was amplified after President Jovenel Moisé’s assassination in 2021.