Hunger and poverty are compelling Haitian children to join criminal groups, according to a Human Rights Watch report published on Wednesday. Children who become part of criminal groups are forced into illegal activities and face abuse, including sexual exploitation, and even threats of death. While many of the children want to leave the criminal groups, they fear hunger, stigma or reprisal.

HRW emphasized that the ongoing food crisis in the country is a key factor driving children into criminal groups. Families’ inability to provide for their children and the lack of legal opportunities to obtain necessities have made criminal groups these children’s “only sources of food, shelter and income.” Recruitment grew in reaction to law enforcement operations by the Multinational Security Support Mission and Haitian National Police.

Once recruited, children are trained in using weapons and forced to participate in armed activities against police and rival groups. Girls are particularly vulnerable in criminal groups, facing sexual abuse and forced domestic labor. Many are also abducted or given up by their families under threats in exchange for protection.

HRW urges the transitional government and international agencies to implement a “comprehensive strategy for children associated with criminal groups” in adherence to international human rights standards, particularly with regard to the treatment of children. It especially stressed the importance of demobilization and reintegration. The organization also calls for strengthening Haiti’s educational, health, and justice systems, which are necessary to ensure critical services are available and survivors of abuse can be have their needs met.

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

Widespread gang violence, particularly in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, has led to mass displacement, with over 700,000 people internally displaced, about half of whom are children. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization also reported that 608,000 people require assistance to prevent starvation, with around 125000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

Gang violence has also severely disrupted education. Nearly 1,000 schools in Haiti’s western department are now closed, depriving children of education and school meals. The violence has also killed over 100 children from January to September 2024 alone, 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 transitional government. He has pledged to work to improve the situation for children in Haiti but progress remains slow amid ongoing violence.