UN Report Warns Haitian Gangs Trafficking Children

A new United Nations report warns that widespread child trafficking by armed gangs in Haiti is placing the country’s future at serious risk.

The report, released Friday by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, found that most of the 26 gangs currently operating in Haiti are involved in trafficking children.

According to the findings, children are exploited in a range of roles, from running errands, monitoring security forces and collecting extortion payments to carrying out kidnappings, targeted killings, property destruction and acts of 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 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

While there is no comprehensive data on the number of children trafficked, the UN estimated that more than 500,000 children were living in areas under gang control in 2024. The report also notes that gang violence has displaced more than 1.4 million people, over half of whom are children.

The report links child trafficking to structural factors such as poverty, weak institutions and social exclusion, as well as ongoing armed violence. It states that children are often enticed by promises of power, protection or status, or coerced through threats, food and drugs. The risk is highest for children from extremely poor and marginalised families, including those living on the streets or in displacement sites.

Although the report acknowledges efforts by Haitian authorities, civil society and international partners, it concludes that current responses remain fragmented, under-resourced and insufficient. It also highlights that prevention strategies addressing root causes, including economic hardship and lack of education, are lacking.

The findings further raise concern that trafficked children are frequently treated as perpetrators rather than victims. In some cases, children accused of gang affiliation have reportedly been summarily executed by police or killed by so-called self-defence groups.

The report calls for a comprehensive, human rights-centred strategy focused on expanding social protection programmes, strengthening schools as safe spaces, creating child-friendly environments, increasing youth employment opportunities, improving rights-compliant law enforcement and ensuring accountability for traffickers.