Ongoing food crisis forces Haitian children to join criminal groups – JURIST

Hunger and poverty have forced Haitian children to join criminal groups, a Human Rights Watch report released Wednesday said. Children who join criminal groups are forced into illegal activities and face abuse, including sexual exploitation, as well as threats of abuse and death. While many of the children want to leave criminal groups, they are afraid of hunger, rejection and stigmatization.

HRW stressed that the ongoing food crisis in the country is a key factor driving children into criminal groups. The inability of families to care for their children and the lack of legal means to obtain essential goods have made criminal groups the “only source of food, shelter and income” for these children. Recruitments increased in response to law enforcement operations by the Multinational Security Support Mission and the Haitian National Police.

Once recruited, the children are trained in the use of weapons and forced into violent activities against the police and rival groups. In addition, girls in criminal groups are particularly at risk and are victims of sexual abuse and forced domestic work. Many are also kidnapped or given up by their families under threats in exchange for protection.

HRW urges the interim government and international organizations to implement a “comprehensive strategy for children associated with criminal groups” in accordance with international human rights standards, particularly with regard to the treatment of children, noting the importance of demobilization and reintegration towards child protection. The organization also calls for strengthening Haiti’s education, health and justice systems, which are necessary to ensure that essential services are available and victims of abuse can be accommodated.

In January 2024, Haiti and the UN signed a protocol to hand over children allegedly associated with armed gangs to civilian child protection actors. However, HRW claims that resource and coordination deficits have undermined full implementation and have detained children in inhumane conditions, often sharing their cells with adults. This violates Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which requires detained children to be held separately from adults.

Widespread gang violence, particularly in the state capital Port-au-Prince, has led to mass displacement. Over 700,000 people have been internally displaced, around half of whom are children. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations also reported that 608,000 people need assistance to prevent further hunger, with about 125,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

Gang violence has also severely affected education. Nearly 1,000 schools in Haiti’s western department are now closed, leaving children deprived of education and school meals. From January to September 2024 alone, over 100 children died as a result of the violence, further worsening the situation.

In June, UN development specialist and former prime minister Garry Conille assumed the role of Haiti’s prime minister in the interim government. He has pledged to work to improve the situation for children in Haiti, but progress remains slow amid ongoing violence.