The UN office in Haiti expressed its concern on Wednesday at the recruitment of children by gangs. The United Nations representation in Port-au-Prince is concerned about this recruitment which constitutes “one of the six serious violations of the rights of the child”.
For several decades, armed gangs have been raging in the poor neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince and have drastically increased their hold throughout the country in recent years, multiplying murders and heinous kidnappings. At the end of April, a video circulated on social networks showing a child of about ten years old, with his face masked, showing off a large caliber automatic weapon.
Inaccessible neighborhoods
The UN has thus denounced the recruitment of children into organized crime while clashes between gangs are now also paralyzing the northern and eastern suburbs of Port-au-Prince. The local office condemned “armed gang violence since April 24, […] killing dozens of Haitians and injuring and displacing thousands more”.
Between April 24 and May 2, at least 39 people were reportedly killed, 68 injured and 8 missing in this area. At least 9,000 residents were also forced to flee these neighborhoods in haste due to the violence, according to Haitian civil protection. “48 schools, 5 medical centers and 8 markets have been closed due to the situation,” the authorities said.
Establishing a precise human toll is still impossible because medical and charity teams cannot go to these neighborhoods, where shootings resound daily. The national police and the government have not yet commented on this outbreak of violence which currently prevents any safe exit from the capital by road.