Who are the children recruited by Haitian gangs? Ordinary kids seeking hope in impossible circumstances

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Bendji and Moïse, both 10 years old, live in Canaan, a sprawling area on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince that has become a hotspot for gang activity. Like many other children in Haiti, they are victims of the violence and lawlessness engulfing their community, leaving them without education and deprived of the basic rights outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The two were recruited by the “Taliban” gang, led by Jeff Larose, to work as scouts for the group. Their mission took them to Arcahaie, in northern Port-au-Prince, where they were captured and interrogated by armed men from rival gangs. They had no idea that their mission would end with them facing an interrogation and potential death at the hands of armed men from a rival gang.

“You came from Canaan; Jeff is sending you to scout the men of Arcahaie, right?” one of the interrogators asks the boys in a video circulating on social media. “Yes,” they reply. “It is Arcahaie that you need to reclaim as lost territory,” the man adds, confirming the gang’s ongoing struggle for control.

Children like Bendji and Moïse, both in the third grade when recruited, are often forced into roles as scouts for gangs in Canaan. Hunger and a lack of opportunities trap them in a vicious cycle, where survival depends on carrying out dangerous tasks for criminal groups. In the video, the boys admit to being paid just 250 Haitian gourdes—about $2 USD—to scout for a gang. After releasing them, the interrogator raises the offer to 1,000 gourdes, or $8, enticing them to return.

The video ends after their release, leaving haunting questions: Will these boys return to Canaan, where gang recruiters await? While they appear unarmed in the footage, children across Haiti are often coerced into carrying weapons, extorting money, and looting for gangs.

A recent Human Rights Watch report highlights the widespread exploitation of children by gangs in Haiti, with boys as young as 10 forced to handle weapons, join violent clashes, and carry out other illicit tasks. Many receive meager payments—ranging from less than $1 to $150—or basic necessities like food and shelter in exchange for their dangerous labor.

“With limited options for survival, many children in Haiti are drawn to criminal groups,” said Nathalye Cotrino, a crisis and conflict researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Within criminal groups, they engage in illegal activities and expose themselves to serious risks.”

A worrying situation of violence traps children

Haiti’s escalating gang violence continues to devastate communities, particularly in Port-au-Prince and Artibonite, forcing thousands to flee their homes. During a violent week from Nov. 11 to 17, 2024, schools, banks, and other essential services shut down as gangs attacked, killing a police officer and a doctor. Months of unrest have also targeted police stations and critical infrastructure, crippling transport, education, and healthcare. With hospitals closing and security collapsing, the country’s fragile system teeters on the brink.

Despite the government’s state of emergency across all ten departments, gangs have expanded control over large areas. Between January and May 2024, the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) recorded 3,252 victims of violence, up from 2,453 in the previous five months. This includes 361 women, 52 children, and 971 kidnapping cases.

Children are particularly vulnerable, with more than 365,000 displaced internally and 105 killed by gang violence—78 boys and 27 girls—by mid-September. Gangs in areas like Grand Ravine have increasingly recruited children, further entrenching a cycle of violence, according to a March 2024 UN report.

Child starvation used as a key tool for recruitment

“When I decided to leave, they told me: there is no food at home, so if you leave us, you will die of hunger,” a 16-year-old child soldier in Port-au-Prince told UN reporters. “That’s how they tried to force me to stay.” 

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) painted a dire situation for children. According to UNICEF as of May, between 30% and 50% of gang members in Haiti were children. Gangs have been increasingly targeting younger recruits to deceive the vigilance of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) aimed at bolstering the Haitian National Police (PNH) in their fight against criminal violence.

Other reports from human rights organizations confirm that children, including those younger than 10, are being coerced into these groups. The recruitment of children has escalated with the growing instability caused by the ongoing security situation in the country. 

Vulnerable children and the cycle of recruitment

While many children are already part of gangs, countless others remain at risk, especially street children. These kids, seen throughout Port-au-Prince in areas like Delmas, Carrefour de l’Aéroport, and Pétion-Ville, often beg for food or money to survive. Their vulnerability makes them prime targets for gang recruitment, which is rampant in the capital where gangs control over 80% of the city.

Djemsley, a 6-year-old boy, described to The Haitian Times what life has been like living on the streets with his mother. He spoke near Carrefour Aéroport, where he was taking a break from a day of panhandling. 

For Djemsley the streets are his source of food. With a single mother who also panhandles for a living, Djemsley is highly vulnerable to gang recruitment in his area, where groups like those from Cité Soleil are active.

In response to the growing crisis, the UN and the Haitian government have introduced a protocol to care for children encountered during security operations. However, the lack of resources and personnel at the Haitian Institute of Social Welfare and Research (IBESR) has hindered the protocol’s effectiveness, and there is no clear assessment of its impact.

Djemsley is part of nearly 400,000 children in Haiti who are currently deprived of their right to education. According to UNICEF in a statement, this is primarily due to the closure of schools, which are often turned into shelters for displaced people from violence and hideouts for gangs.

“Haitian children face unprecedented challenges,” said Arielle Jeanty Villedrouin, Director-General of IBESR. “It is our collective responsibility to ensure their protection, hope and the chance to build a better future.”

Jean Berquinze Augustin, coordinator of Jeunesse Combattante, warns that the street children of Haiti are being systematically absorbed into gangs. This widespread child recruitment not only violates children’s rights but also perpetuates a cycle of violence and despair.

“If nothing changes, these children will eventually join gangs to escape poverty or seek revenge,” Augustin explained. Augustin said. “These children will either lose their lives or drag others into violence, deepening the country’s crisis.”

Children suffering exploitation are forced to kill to survive

While the experience of Bendji and Moïse provides limited insight into their situation, testimonies reported by Human Rights Watch offer a glimpse into the harsh realities faced by children recruited by gangs. In areas controlled by criminal groups, gangs serve as de facto authorities, offering “jobs” and essential goods to children desperate for survival.

“I joined the gang because I had nothing,” said Mathis, a 14-year-old orphan. “I never went to school. I was on the street, hungry, with no place to sleep, no clothes, nothing.”

Mathis, who lived on the streets, received 1,150 gourdes (approximately US$9) and food the day he joined the gang. For some children, receiving compensation from gangs is the only way to meet their basic needs. Others do so to contribute to their family’s meager resources. Mathis confirms that the gang not only provided him with work but also ensured his 13-year-old brother’s survival.

In some gangs, children undergo three to five months of training in weapons and ammunition handling before being deployed in violent confrontations with the police, rival gangs, or self-defense groups. In these settings, children are expected to kill, reload weapons, and transport arms. Gangs like “Village de Dieu” organize rigorous training, particularly for boys, to ensure loyalty and prevent desertions, according to UN reports.

“They gave me a Kalashnikov with a bunch of bullets,” said Michel, 14, a former member of the Gran Ravine gang. “The day they gave it to me, they loaded all the bullets into the magazine and told me to carry it on my back.”

Michel, who was one of five children—ranging from 11 to 13 years old—entered the life of crime at age 8. He was drawn to gang life by his dire living conditions, which pushed him to become a street child. Michel eventually left the Gran Ravine gang after witnessing killings in his neighborhood. He returned to the streets, begging to survive.

“The repercussions are that one day these children will lose their lives, plunging their parents and loved ones into sadness.”

 Jean Berquinze Augustin, general coordinator of the humanitarian organization Jeunesse Combattante (JECO)

Girls face their own set of horrors. They are forcibly recruited by gangs and are often exploited for labor, tasked with chores such as cooking, running errands, and cleaning the homes of gang leaders and members. Some, like boys, are also given weapons and ammunition to carry. Marie, a 16-year-old pregnant girl, recounted her experience with the Grand Ravine gang.

“When I joined the group, it was easier to eat,” Marie told Human Rights Watch. “During the clashes, I saw people injured and many dead; I almost got hit by a bullet.”

“The leaders force the girls to engage in sexual acts with them or their members in full view of others,” said one aid worker. “

They tell them that they are their girlfriends and that they must obey them, but in reality, they exploit them for their pleasure and consumption.”

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Who are the children recruited by Haitian gangs? Ordinary kids seeking hope in impossible circumstances was first posted on November 26, 2024 at 5:44 pm.