Children are Being Increasingly Recruited by Haitian Gangs As Country's Violent Crisis Deepens

On Monday, a report by the Miami Herald revealed that smugglers have abandoned more than 100 Haitian migrants off the coast of Puerto Rico after the Dominican Republic's decision to deport up to 10,000 Haitians a week, citing an 'excess' of immigrants. The news came a day after at least 70 people were killed in a gang attack about 60 miles north of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.

Both episodes reflect the consequences of escalating gang violence in Haiti, particularly in the agricultural Artibonite region, which has experienced increasing instability.

On Wednesday, a new report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) revealed a new troublesome layer to the conflict as Haiti's armed gangs are increasingly recruiting children, driven to the violence dire living conditions, including near-famine levels, as reported by Reuters. HRW also revealed that girls face sexual abuse and forced labor.

Human Rights Watch performed interviews with six children currently involved in gangs, all expressing a desire to escape their situation, many stating that they joined because gangs were often their only means of obtaining food, shelter, or money.

Specifically, boys are trained in the use of weapons and are used as informants or in confrontations with police. In contrast, girls are often subjected to sexual violence and forced to perform domestic duties for gang members. Once pregnant, they are often abandoned.

The power of gangs in Haiti has surged in recent years amid political instability and weakened state institutions, funding their operations through drug trafficking. However, even though President Biden recently added Haiti to a list of 23 countries designated as "major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries," the administration decided to reallocate DEA resources from Haiti to focus on global synthetic drug supply chains, such as fentanyl.

Current estimates suggest that gangs control territories housing approximately 2.7 million residents, including 500,000 children. In fact, it is believed that a third of gang members are minors. To attract recruits, gangs are increasingly utilizing social media platforms. Notably, Reuters reports that the leader of the Village de Dieu gang has employed polished music videos to promote his group and has established training units for children.