Haiti: Child recruitment by armed groups surges 70 per cent

According to the latest estimates, children now comprise up to half of all armed group members, with recruitment driven by widespread poverty, lack of education and collapse of essential services.

“Children in Haiti are trapped in a vicious cycle – recruited into the very armed groups that are fuelling their desperation, and the numbers are growing,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, noting that “chaos and horror have become part of daily life”.

Under constant threat

The situation in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, is significantly alarming, with 1.2 million children living under constant threat of armed violence. An estimated 25 percent of all 703,000 internally displaced persons are children, living under dire conditions and exposed to multiple threats.

The deteriorating security situation has led to a sharp rise in violence against Haiti’s most vulnerable populations. Sexual violence and rape have become rampant, with reports from the Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict indicating a tenfold increase in children exposed to sexual violence this year alone.

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

Protection and recovery efforts

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

UNICEF is calling on all parties in Haiti to prioritise child protection, support the immediate release of recruited children and ensure their rights are central to any agreements.

“Children in many parts of Haiti are subjected to atrocities no child should ever have to experience,” Ms. Russell emphasised, adding that it “leaves them with psychological and emotional scars that might haunt them for a lifetime.”