Severe hunger and abject poverty in Haiti is forcing children to join marauding gangs that have had the country in a chock-hold for years now, Human Rights Watch has said. In a report, Human Rights Watch said the children view the criminal gangs as their only source of ‘employment” in the absence of legal economic or social opportunities to earn a living. The rights group said the criminal groups are the de facto authorities providing essential goods and “employment”. “Boys are used as informants (“antennas”) to provide information on police patrols or facilitate robberies, running errands such as purchasing food or clothing for leaders,” Human Rights Watch said. The closure of schools left an estimated 160,000 children deprived not only of education but school meals as well, Human Rights Watch said.

Source: The Star October 11, 2024 14:11 UTC