Haiti: Recruitment of children by armed groups increases by 70%

The number of children recruited by armed groups in Haiti has increased by 70% in the last year, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). This unprecedented increase also reveals the alarming deterioration of child protection amid the escalation of violence in the Caribbean country.

“Haiti’s children are trapped in a vicious cycle: they are recruited by the same armed groups that fuel their desperation, and their numbers are increasing,” said Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF, noting that “the chaos and horror is unfolding.” “They have become part of everyday life.”

Under constant threat

The situation in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, is significantly alarming, with 1.2 million children living under the constant threat of armed violence. It is estimated that 25% of the 703,000 internally displaced people are children, who They live in terrible conditions and are exposed to multiple threats.

The deteriorating security situation has led to a sharp increase in violence against Haiti’s most vulnerable populations.

Sexual violence and rape are widespreadand reports from the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations on Children and Armed Conflict indicate that this year alone there has been a tenfold increase in the number of children exposed to sexual violence.

This year, UNICEF provided support services, including psychosocial support and community awareness, to more than 25,000 people affected by sexual and gender-based violence in 2024.

Protection and recovery efforts

In response to the protection crisis faced by children recruited by or at risk of armed groups, UNICEF has launched several initiatives, including training security forces and civil society organizations in measures of child protection. They also provide care to former child soldiers, along with psychosocial support and family reunification services.

UNICEF calls on all parties involved in Haiti to prioritize child protection, support the immediate release of recruited children and ensure that their rights are at the center of any agreement.

“Children in many parts of Haiti are subjected to atrocities that no child should have to experience,” Russell emphasized, adding that “It leaves them with psychological and emotional scars that could haunt them for the rest of their lives.».