According to a Human Rights Watch research, the near-famine circumstances in Haiti drive boys to acquire firearms while forcing girls into domestic employment and sexual abuse.
Human Rights Watch has warned that minors are being drawn more and more into the ranks of Haiti’s violent gangs.
The organization, which promotes human rights throughout the world, said on Wednesday that it had just spoken with six kids who were involved in gangs.
The kids all admitted that they wanted to leave and that they joined gangs because they were hungry and that gangs were frequently their only access to money, food, or shelter.
According to HRW, boys are frequently utilized as informants, taught how to handle firearms and ammunition, and involved in conflicts with the police.
The story of Michel, an orphan who was handed a loaded Kalashnikov six years ago when he was eight years old and living on the streets, was mentioned.
According to the report, girls are sexually assaulted, made to cook and clean for gang members, and frequently abandoned once they get pregnant.
State organizations immobilized
Powerful gangs in Haiti have been getting more and more influential in recent years, while political unrest and a lack of funding have paralyzed governmental institutions.
2.7 million people—including half a million children—live in area that is currently under the authority of gangs.
According to HRW, the gangs have increased their recruitment of minors as they have risen.
The United Nations, which has also warned of boys being used for killings and to target institutions and girls being forced into exploitative sexual interactions and slain in broad open for refusing to do so, believes that almost a third of gang members are children.
According to HRW, criminal organizations are rapidly luring new members with well-known social media applications.
For example, the rapper and head of the Village de Dieu gang releases slick music videos featuring his soldiers.
According to the article, he has a dedicated squad that trains kids how to use guns and man checkpoints.
A year ago, the UN granted Haiti’s request for a security mission to aid the authorities in the Caribbean nation in combating gang activity; however, the mission has only partially taken effect thus far.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the government of Haiti and other nations to give security forces additional funding, make sure kids have access to food and education, and offer recruit rehabilitation.
