UN rights office finds gang violence and child trafficking deepen crisis in Haiti News
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UN rights office finds gang violence and child trafficking deepen crisis in Haiti

Child trafficking by gangs in Haiti has intensified amid escalating violence and institutional collapse and has placed the country’s long-term stability in jeopardy, according to a report released on Friday by the UN’s human rights office.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) found that gangs are systematically recruiting, coercing, and exploiting children for criminal activities, sexual violence, and forced labour. The report documents how armed groups use intimidation, economic desperation, and displacement to draw children into their ranks, often with promises of cash payments or drugs, or by threatening them and their families into subjugation. The report also details that numerous children have been subjected to rape during gang attacks in neighborhoods controlled by rival groups or in areas targeted for territorial expansion. 

The OHCHR added that, according to the UN Human Rights Service (HRS), at least 806 children were killed or injured between January 2022 and December 2025. During the same period, at least 220 children were kidnapped for ransom, abducted from their homes, on their way to or from school, or while carrying out daily activities.

The report stresses that these patterns amount to grave violations of children’s rights and require urgent, coordinated responses.

This crisis unfolds against a backdrop of widespread insecurity. The UN has reported that gang violence has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and disrupted access to schools, healthcare, and basic services. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported to the UN Security Council in January 2025 that criminal groups have expanded their territorial control and revenue streams, deepening instability and weakening the rule of law.

Leading human rights organizations have similarly documented cases of gang recruitment of children, attacks on communities, and sexual violence, noting that children are both direct victims of violence and compelled participants in it. International agencies have also supported the need for sustained international engagement and support to prevent further harm to children.

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