Haitian gangs recruiting children with promise of food, shelter: Report

As violence continues to grip Haiti , there are now reports that gangs on the island nation are recruiting children as young as 8 years old. Human Right Watch (HRW) reported on Wednesday, Oct. 9, gangs are luring kids with the promise of food, shelter and money.

Boys are reportedly recruited to be informants, trained to use guns and sometimes are involved in shootouts with police, and girls are used as house servants and often become victims of rape from gang members.

The group says that child recruitment is ramping up with some members using rap videos to appeal to youth.

HRW urged Haiti's government and other countries to deploy more security forces and humanitarian aid to the country to alleviate near-famine conditions.

The United States is also pressuring a United Nations approved international security force to transform its mission into a U.N. peacekeeping operation.

The current Kenyan-led international security force is lacking in personnel. Only 410 of the 2,500 promised officers are in the country. Kenyan President William Ruto plans to beef up those numbers, announcing the deployment of 300 officers this month followed by 300 more in November.

The reinforcements would reportedly help the Kenyans set up a dozen operating bases throughout the metro of Port-Au-Prince and rural areas where gangs have regained control.

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