Child recruitment in Haiti surges threefold in just one year – UNICEF

PORT AU PRINCE/NEW YORK, 12 February 2026 – The number of children in Haiti recruited and used by armed groups has skyrocketed by an estimated 200 per cent in 2025 reflecting a growing reliance on the exploitation of children, amid ongoing violence by armed groups, UNICEF said today, commemorating Red Hand Day.

The situation for children in Haiti remains critical. More than 1.4 million people are internally displaced, over half of them children facing overlapping crises, including armed violence, natural disasters, and extreme poverty. These conditions have fueled the growth of armed groups, increasingly forcing children into recruitment.

“Children’s rights are non-negotiable,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Every child must be protected. And every child recruited or used by armed groups must be released and supported so they can heal, return to learning, and rebuild their future.”

Recruitment and use of children by armed groups constitutes a grave violation of their rights, and enlisting children of any age into armed groups is a breach of international law. Recruitment into armed groups exposes children to multiple risks, including injury, maiming, or death in combat, sexual, psychological, and physical abuse, and arbitrary detention, while also disrupting their access to education, thereby undermining their safety, well-being, and overall development.

Children in Haiti are often forced to join armed groups to support their families or after receiving direct threats to themselves or loved ones, while others are recruited after being separated from their families, turning to armed groups as a means of survival and protection.

Since the signing of the Handover Protocol in January of 2024, UNICEF and child protection actors, were able to verify and support more than 500 children associated with armed groups with specialized protection and reintegration services across Haiti.

Together with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Works (MAST), the Haitian Institute of Social Welfare and Research (IBESR), the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP), the Minister (delegated) for Solidarity and Humanitarian Affairs (MSHA), and in coordination with civil society, UN agencies, humanitarian partners and the international community, UNICEF supports children and families affected by violence with:

• Psychosocial support, case management, referrals to health and protection services, education support and temporary learning spaces where needed, as well as assistance for family tracing and reunification where feasible, and all provided in accordance with the best interest of the child.
• Prevention of recruitment, and reintegration/rehabilitation through the PREJEUNES programme, helping adolescents and young people exit out of armed groups or protecting those at risk of joining them, by reducing vulnerabilities, strengthening protective environments, and supporting social inclusion.

UNICEF calls on national authorities and all relevant stakeholders to strengthen child protection systems, ensure safe and sustained access to essential services, and reinforce family tracing and reunification support when this is in the child’s best interests and can be done safely. Communities also have a critical role in prevention, including through local and community-based child protection networks and safe, confidential reporting pathways that can connect children at risk of recruitment with support early. Meanwhile, UNICEF calls on donor governments, the private sector, and others to support critical support programmes for children and families affected by violence, which remain significantly underfunded.

“Children associated with armed groups must not be treated as perpetrators,” said Russell. “They must receive appropriate reintegration services and be protected from additional risks, stigma, or retaliation.”

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Note to Editors: Red Hand Day is celebrated on 12 February as a movement to raise awareness and action against the recruitment and use of children by armed actors.