“Children in Haiti are trapped in a vicious cycle — recruited into the very armed groups that are fueling their desperation, and the numbers are growing,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “This unacceptable trend must be reversed by ensuring children’s safety and welfare are prioritized by all parties.”

A new UNICEF report has found that the number of children recruited by gangs in Haiti has surged by 70% in the past year.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says the number of children being recruited into armed groups across Haiti has increased by 70 per cent over the past year. It said the unprecedented spike also reveals the alarming deterioration of child protection amid escalating violence in the Caribbean nation.