The United Nations (UN) says rising gang crime in Port-au-Prince, is limiting access to education and is preventing thousands of Haitian children from going to school.
The UN said Steve (not his real name) dreamed of becoming a schoolteacher when his life was turned “upside-down” last year.
Due to the upsurge in gang-related violence in his neighborhood, the UN said his school was closed, and the 15-year-old found himself roaming around on the streets, at the mercy of armed groups.
“I joined the gang in February 2021. They saw me walking and called me and asked me to work for them,” the UN quoted Steve as saying, “There were other children like me.”
According to a report published by two local youth-focused organizations, 13 percent of the Haitian children surveyed in one troubled neighborhood in Port-au-Prince say they have been in direct or indirect contact with members of armed gangs as they tried to recruit them.
The UN said they offer to pay the children a lot of money while threatening to kill them if they don’t comply.
“Every day, as soon as they send me to watch the police, they will pay me 1,500 or 2,500 Haitian gourdes (US$15-25),” Steve said. “They told me they’ll kill me if I don’t want to stay with them.”
The UN said more than 19,000 Haitian people including 15,000 women and children have been forced to flee their homes due to acts of violence such as killings, and kidnappings; hundreds of houses have been burned or damaged.
This year, the gang war has intensified and since April 24, half a million children have lost access to education in Port-au-Prince, where some 1,700 schools are closed, according to government figures.
The UN said Steve led a peaceful life as a suburban child. He played with his younger brother and two younger sisters, and thoroughly enjoyed his childhood with his grandmother.
“I used to ride my bike, play video games and watch movies until dark,” Steve recalled. “Sometimes, I went to fetch water for my grandmother, and I also cleaned the house.”
The violence is reportedly impacting an increasing number of schools and has shattered the dream of many children.
An education ministry assessment between April and May 2022 of 859 schools in Port-au-Prince revealed that 31 percent had been attacked, and over 50 had closed their doors to students, the UN said.
It said a large number of schools have been occupied by gangs or are serving as temporary accommodation for families displaced by violence.
The United Nation said the number of students in classes has fallen from 238,000 at the start of the gang crisis in April to 184,000 and violence, school closures and idleness “lead inexorably to the enrollment of children into armed groups.”
“It saddens me that children who are willing to learn and teachers willing to educate cannot do so because they feel unsafe,” he added. “Children must be able to attend school safely, play freely and enjoy being a child and given a chance to develop to their fullest potential.”
The UN said Steve has now been caught and is awaiting trial on charges related to his gang activity.
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