Overview:
A new UN report details how Haitian gangs are trafficking children for labor, violence and sexual exploitation, warning that the crisis endangers Haiti’s long-term stability and calling for urgent, coordinated action.
A United Nations report released Friday warns that widespread child trafficking by gangs in Haiti is endangering not only today’s children but the country’s future.
The report, issued jointly by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, states that most of the 26 gangs currently operating in Haiti are involved in trafficking children.
According to the findings, gangs subject children to a range of exploitation. Some are forced to run errands, monitor security forces or collect extortion payments. Others are pushed into more violent acts, including destroying property, carrying out kidnappings, committing targeted killings and engaging in sexual violence.
“Children in Haiti are being robbed of their childhoods and their futures. The impact and long-term consequences of child trafficking are devastating for the victims and their families, as well as for the stability of the country,” said Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights.
The This report was originally shared in a press release by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
There is no comprehensive data on how many children gangs have trafficked. However, the UN estimated that in 2024 more than 500,000 children were living in areas under gang control. The latest estimates show that gang violence has forced more than 1.4 million people to flee their homes, with children accounting for more than half of those displaced.
The report points to both structural and situational factors that increase children’s vulnerability. Poverty, weak institutions and social exclusion create conditions where trafficking can flourish. Armed violence further destabilizes communities. Some children are drawn in by what they perceive as power, social status or protection. Others are coerced through threats, violence, food or drugs.
The risk is especially high for children from extremely poor and marginalized families, as well as those living on the streets or in sites for displaced people, the report states.
While acknowledging efforts by state authorities, civil society and international partners, the report concludes that current responses are insufficient, fragmented and under-resourced.
It adds that prevention efforts often fail to address the economic, social and educational root causes that leave children vulnerable. The report also calls for stronger accountability for traffickers to prevent further abuses.
Law enforcement responses remain a concern. According to the report, authorities often treat children trafficked by gangs as perpetrators rather than victims. In some cases, police officers have executed children accused of gang association or the so-called self-defense groups have killed them.
“For the immediate and long-term future of Haiti, it is crucial that national authorities and their international partners work hand-in-hand to build stronger communities and social protection mechanisms. Children must be at the center of our response to the security crisis in Haiti,” said Carlos Ruiz Massieu, special representative of the UN secretary-general in Haiti and head of BINUH.
To address the crisis, BINUH and the UN human rights office call for a comprehensive, human rights-centered strategy built on seven pillars. These include expanding social protection programs for vulnerable families in the capital, strengthening schools as protective spaces, creating child-friendly spaces outside schools, increasing vocational training and job opportunities for youth, reinforcing rights-compliant law enforcement, prioritizing rehabilitation over punishment and improving accountability for child traffickers.
Türk also urged the newly created Gang Suppression Force to respect children’s rights during operations against gangs, in line with international human rights law.
“It is equally crucial that national and international authorities focus on curbing the illicit flow of arms pouring into Haiti,” he said. “The UN arms embargo must be enforced without delay if we want to stop the never-ending cycle of violence.
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