Sexual violence against children in Haiti has become rampant, with UNICEF reporting a sharp rise in incidents between 2023 and 2024. “Children’s bodies are increasingly becoming battlegrounds in the raging violence as powerful gangs controlling much of the capital have been allowing gangsters to rape young girls because it is ‘acceptable’ to them,” explained James Elder, an organization spokesman.
Armed groups, who are heavily armed with weapons trafficked from the US, now control about 85% of Port-au-Prince. The situation is becoming more critical, with gangs committing unspeakable acts of violence against children, including abductions, sexual assault, and physical abuse. Elder shared the story of a 16-year-old girl who was abducted, beaten, drugged, and raped before being freed and seeking refuge in a UNICEF supported safe house.
This coincided with increasing Haiti instability, at least a million people were made homeless, out of which nearly half were kids. More than 100 policemen from Kenya responded to increasing levels of violence after arriving in the capital on Thursday to assist the security mission, but it continued to be characterized by very lean personnel and equipment, plus additional challenges with regards to withheld dollars from the US amounting to $13m before allowing its waiver for funds to be replaced.
In addition to the violence, extreme poverty has led many children to join gangs, with some groups reportedly consisting of minors as young as eight years old. UNICEF warns that unless the situation improves, Haiti’s children face a bleak future marked by continued exploitation and abuse.
