It is an open secret that children are joining armed gangs. A recent report published jointly by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has drawn attention to this grim reality. It is difficult to provide exact figures, but the authors of the report acknowledged that more and more children are swelling the ranks of gangs across the country.

“Running errands, monitoring security forces or collecting extortion payments, to more violent acts such as the destruction of property, kidnappings, targeted killings and sexual violence,” are some of the forms of exploitation that children are subjected to. Although the report was published last February, the phenomenon is recurring in Haiti. It is simply growing as gangs gain ground.