PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) – International human rights group Amnesty International, says relentless gang violence in the Haitian capital and surrounding areas has resulted in a brutal attack on childhood in the French-speaking country.

It said since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, violence by armed gangs has escalated significantly in Haiti, claiming an estimated 5,600 lives last year.

Gangs control the majority of the capital Port-au-Prince, while more than 5.5 million people require urgent humanitarian assistance.

“Gangs have caused widespread distress in Haiti. They threaten, beat, rape and kill children. They have committed multiple abuses of children’s rights, including the rights to life, to education, and to freedom of movement,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“It is time for Haitian authorities and the international community, including donors, to step up their efforts. Empty expressions of concern are not enough. Children’s bodies, minds and hearts are violated every day. Haiti needs urgent assistance to protect children and to prevent further cycles of violence,” Callamard said.

The report “I’m a child, why did this happen to me? Gangs assault on childhood in Haiti” notes that more than one million children are estimated to be living in areas controlled by or under the influence of gangs.

Amnesty said that researchers interviewed 112 people and visited Port-au-Prince in September 2024, covering violations and abuses in eight communes of the West Department.

Amnesty International documented the cases of 18 girls subjected to rape and other forms of sexual violence by gang members.

Some were attacked more than once. In 10 cases, the girls were subjected to collective rape; in nine cases, they were abducted.
It reported that two teenage sisters were abducted by gang members while on their way back from school and subjected to collective rape: one by five men, the other by six.

One sister told Amnesty International: “I think about it and tell myself, I’m a child, why did this happen to me?”

Several girls told Amnesty International they got pregnant as a result of being raped. As abortion remains criminalised in Haiti, some resorted to unsafe methods to attempt to end their unwanted pregnancies.

Amnesty International said children involved in commercial sex acts are victims of sexual exploitation.

A 16-year-old girl living in an area under the control of 5 Segon said she first got involved in commercial sex with gang members after she and her child had gone through repeated stretches without food.

She said: “I don’t have a choice… They see you and say, ‘Let’s go’. If you refuse, they hit you with a gun… I could be shot one day. They grab you and they kick you. Some pay. Some don’t.”

Girls subjected to sexual violence by gang members require highly specialised healthcare to support their physical and psychological recovery. However, the limited health services in Haiti have been affected by gang attacks.

Amnesty International also said survivors face several barriers to justice amid the general impunity in Haiti. Many interviewees had no intention of reporting their attacks to authorities due to the absence of law-enforcement personnel in gang-controlled areas.

The agency interviewed 11 boys and three girls who were recruited and used by gangs. They described being exploited in various ways, including to surveil rival gangs and police, to run deliveries, or to do domestic chores, construction work and vehicle repairs.

All 14 children said they had no choice, and that they acted predominantly out of fear or hunger.

A 12-year-old boy said he was forced by Grand Ravine gang members to be an informant.

“If I didn’t do it, they would have killed me,” he stressed.

“The government is detaining scores of children, including many who were allegedly recruited and used by gangs, alongside adult detainees in an overcrowded facility originally intended to rehabilitate boys. At the time of research, none of the boys had been convicted because the Port-au-Prince Juvenile Court stopped functioning in 2019,”Amnesty International reported.

Amnesty International said the United Nations and civil society groups have documented the killing of children and adults believed to be associated with gangs by self-defence groups known as the Bwa Kale movement.

It said several children said they tried to conceal their association with gangs out of fear of retaliation from community members.

“If someone points a finger at me, life could be taken from me,” one boy said.