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Children make up half of Haiti’s gangs. They’re about to face a new foreign force.
UN officials say gangs recruited at least 302 children in Port-au-Prince in 2024 as the new force prepares to confront armed groups.
- The UN-authorized Gang Suppression Force arrived in Haiti last week with plans to eventually field about 5,500 personnel to bolster local police and aggressively pursue armed groups across the country.
- Children make up about 50% of armed groups in Haiti, with at least 302 recruited in 2024 alone as gangs exploit social media to attract vulnerable youth by promising food and housing.
- Wealthier gangs pay between USD 100 and USD 300 for tasks like monitoring police movements, while 'major missions' such as kidnappings reportedly offer up to USD 700, with payments made twice monthly.
- Geeta Narayan, head of UNICEF's Haiti operations, expressed hope that security forces will follow a 'handover protocol' for children, though she fears child recruits could become casualties as GSF operations intensify.
- Security crackdowns must address humanitarian needs in tandem, said Wanja Kaaria, head of the World Food Program in Haiti, which provides meals to about 600,000 schoolchildren as hunger remains a barrier to peace.
Insights by Ground AI
16 Articles
16 Articles
As a new multinational force is organized in Haiti, its foreign police and soldiers could soon meet face to face with hundreds of children.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources16
Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center14Last UpdatedBias Distribution93% Center
Bias Distribution
- 93% of the sources are Center
93% Center
C 93%
Factuality
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