© UNICEF/G. Joseph A boy in Haiti participates in a program to prevent children from being recruited into gangs. UN: More than half of armed gang members in Haiti are children Peace and Security
In Haiti, children face unprecedented levels of violence and their recruitment by armed gangs has nearly tripled in the past year. This was stated by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Vanessa Fraser, following her visit to the country.
More than half of the members of armed groups in Haiti are minors, she said. At the same time, the number of cases of murder and abduction of children continues to grow, and sexualized violence is increasingly used as a means of intimidating the population.
“Children in Haiti today face levels of violence that no child anywhere in the world should experience,” Fraser said. This was the first official visit by the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict in Haiti. During the trip, Fraser met with representatives of the government, the UN, civil society and children affected by violence.
Children live in constant fear
According to the UN representative, many children in the country live in conditions of constant violence both at home and outside outside.
“Growing up for them means a daily struggle for survival, constant fear, threats, violence, separation from family, displacement and trauma,” she said.
The situation is particularly alarming in areas under the control of armed gangs. Children there are effectively deprived of access to schools, health care and basic protection services. According to Fraser’s visit, about 18,000 schools have been destroyed, damaged or stopped operating due to the activities of armed groups.
Minors in prisons
During the trip, the UN representative visited the overcrowded CERMICOL juvenile detention center in Port-au-Prince. There, about 80 children have been kept in harsh conditions for years without being charged. Many of them are suspected of gang ties, but none have been brought to justice.
“Most of them are not visited by loved ones. They are left to their own devices,” Fraser said.
She stressed that children detained during security force operations should be treated primarily as victims and transferred to social services in accordance with the protocol signed in 2024 between the Haitian government and the UN. According to her, this approach is especially important to adhere to now, given that on June 1 the operations of the Anti-Banditry Force will begin, which in 2025 by decision of the UN Security Council The Multinational Security Assistance Mission for Haiti was reorganized. Hundreds more children could be detained during these operations. At the same time, Fraser noted, representatives of the forces assured her that special mechanisms and protocols for the protection of minors were already being developed, and personnel would be trained in child protection issues. According to the UN spokeswoman, the stories from the participants in these programs were “heartbreaking” but also full of hope.
“They told me that all they wanted was to go to school, play, learn and just be children again,” she said. Haiti. The UN assured that it will continue to cooperate with the country’s authorities and partners to strengthen the protection of minors and provide them with the necessary assistance.