PORT AU PRINCE – The international human rights group, Amnesty International, says relentless gang violence in the Haitian capital and surrounding areas has resulted in a brutal attack on childhood.
Haitian children (File Photo)In a new report, Haiti, Amnesty International documents how children are being subjected to a litany of human rights abuses including recruitment into gangs, rape and other forms of sexual violence, abductions, killings and injuries. The disproportionate impact on children with disabilities is also documented.
It said since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, violence by armed gangs has escalated significantly in Haiti, claiming an estimated 5,600 lives last year. Gangs control the majority of the capital Port-au-Prince, while more than 5.5 million people require urgent humanitarian assistance.
“Gangs have caused widespread distress in Haiti. They threaten, beat, rape and kill children. They have committed multiple abuses of children’s rights, including the rights to life, to education, and to freedom of movement,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
“The lives of far too many children in Haiti are being wrecked, and they have nowhere to go for protection or justice. They are chased and at times killed by self-defence groups, while the authorities arbitrarily detain them. Childhood is being stolen.
“It is time for Haitian authorities and the international community, including donors, to step up their efforts. Empty expressions of concern are not enough. Children’s bodies, minds and hearts are violated every day. Haiti needs urgent assistance to protect children and to prevent further cycles of violence,” Callamard said.
The reported “I’m a child, why did this happen to me? Gangs assault on childhood in Haiti” notes that more than one million children are estimated to be living in areas controlled by or under the influence of gangs.
Amnesty said that researchers interviewed 112 people and visited Port-au-Prince in September 2024, covering violations and abuses in eight communes of the West Department.
Amnesty International said it wrote to Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, in December 2024, presenting a summary of the findings. But it said that at the time of the publication of the report, no response had been received.
“Gang members have abducted, raped, and sexually assaulted girls during attacks on neighbourhoods or after taking control of areas. Attacking girls while they are out on the street and deliberately targeting them in their homes is common. Gang members have also sexually exploited girls in “relationships” and for commercial sex.”
Amnesty International documented the cases of 18 girls subjected to rape and other forms of sexual violence by gang members. Some were attacked more than once. In 10 cases, the girls were subjected to collective rape; in nine cases, they were abducted.
Amnesty International said international law requires states to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse, including prostitution.
It reported that two teenage sisters were abducted by gang members while on their way back from school and subjected to collective rape: one by five men, the other by six.
One sister told Amnesty International: “I think about it and tell myself, I’m a child, why did this happen to me?”
Several girls told Amnesty International they got pregnant as a result of being raped. As abortion remains criminalised in Haiti, some resorted to unsafe methods to attempt to end their unwanted pregnancies.
Amnesty International said children involved in commercial sex acts are victims of sexual exploitation.
A 16-year-old girl living in an area under the control of 5 Segon said she first got involved in commercial sex with gang members after she and her child had gone through repeated stretches without food.
She said: “I don’t have a choice… They see you and say, ‘Let’s go’. If you refuse, they hit you with a gun… I could be shot one day. They grab you and they kick you. Some pay. Some don’t.”
Girls subjected to sexual violence by gang members require highly specialized healthcare to support their physical and psychological recovery. However, the limited health services in Haiti have been affected by gang attacks.
Amnesty International said survivors face several barriers to justice amid the general impunity in Haiti. Many interviewees had no intention of reporting their attacks to authorities due to the absence of law-enforcement personnel in gang-controlled areas.
Amnesty International interviewed 11 boys and three girls who were recruited and used by gangs. They described being exploited in various ways, including to surveil rival gangs and police, to run deliveries, or to do domestic chores, construction work and vehicle repairs.
All 14 children said they had no choice, and that they acted predominantly out of fear or hunger.
A 12-year-old boy said he was forced by Grand Ravine gang members to be an informant: “If I didn’t do it, they would have killed me.”
Amnesty International said the United Nations and civil society groups have documented the killing of children and adults believed to be associated with gangs by self-defence groups known as the Bwa Kale movement.
It said several children said they tried to conceal their association with gangs out of fear of retaliation from community members. One boy said: “If someone points a finger at me, life could be taken from me.”
“The government is detaining scores of children, including many who were allegedly recruited and used by gangs, alongside adult detainees in an overcrowded facility originally intended to rehabilitate boys. At the time of research, none of the boys had been convicted because the Port-au-Prince Juvenile Court stopped functioning in 2019,”Amnesty International reported.
It reiterated that the recruitment and use of children by gangs in Haiti is prohibited under international and domestic law; among many other abuses, it renders children victims of trafficking in persons.
