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The New Humanitarian: Haiti’s gangs and its children
jess dipierro obert
Feb 16, 2022
Summary
Haiti is experiencing unprecedented levels of gang violence and kidnappings. Many of these gang members are under 24. Some are children as young as 10. With few work or educational opportunities, many gang members say they have turned to the armed groups as a way of earning quick cash or gaining power. Some even say they are doing what they government has failed to do - taking care of the population.
For the documentary, we met with several current and former gang members, visited a correctional facility to speak with youth linked to gangs, and Cité Soleil where we spoke and met with a gang leader in an area called Ti Zile, Haitian Creole for 'small island'. It was December, a more active month in Haiti as there’s more pressure to make money for the holidays. Gunfire frequently went off nearby from a neighborhood called Boston, we were in Brooklyn — the two neighborhoods are currently at war. The gang leader of that community told me he held his first gun when he was 10-years-old, but believes that there’d be no war if there was work. So often the conversation around the rise in armed groups, or gangs, not just in Haiti but wherever there is insecurity, is to dehumanize and depoliticize, to find a police / military solution when their reason for existing stems from unmet social, economic and justice needs.
Stolen future: Haiti’s gangs and its children
The Caribbean country’s political and economic malaise has seen gangs proliferate from a few dozen 20 years ago to more than 200 today.
Can Haiti’s gangs help build a better future for the country?
Haiti has one of the youngest populations in the Caribbean, but without jobs or opportunities, many have turned to gangs for quick cash and power.
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