PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) — The United Nations (UN) Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), Vanessa Frazier, says children living in Haiti are under “constant fear” amid displacement, intimidation and trauma caused by gang violence.

UN officials have warned that the recruitment and use of children by gangs nearly tripled in 2025 compared to the previous year, with children now estimated to make up between 30 and 50 per cent of gang members.

They say children in Haiti are facing escalating violence as armed gangs increasingly recruit minors, kill and injure children and use sexual violence to terrorise communities.

Frazier, who has ended a two-day visit to the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country, said that children encountered during security operations must be treated primarily as victims and handed over to child protection services.

“Without protecting these children and supporting all children affected by violence, lasting stability in Haiti will not be possible,” Frazier said.

“The situation of children in Haiti is unique in many ways, and the challenges they face are extraordinarily complex, multi-layered and multi-dimensional. I met young children and adolescents who were already in a situation of vulnerability within their own homes and had gone through an uninterrupted cycle of violence.

“It is difficult to comprehend that children could go through such experiences. Yet for many, it is a reality. Growing up means a daily struggle to just survive, live in constant fear and be subject to intimidation, displacement, violence and trauma as gangs take advantage of the vulnerability of these children,” said Frazier.

During her mission, the special representative was received by Carlos Ruiz Massieu, special representative of the secretary-general for Haiti and head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), together with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative, Geeta Narayan.

She also met with the minister of foreign affairs, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the Institut pour le Bien-Etre Social et de Recherches, the National Commission for Disarmament, Dismantlement and Reintegration, the special representative of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), as well as representatives of the United Nations System, the diplomatic and donor community, civil society organisations and children affected by violence.

Frazier welcomed the protection of children as the centre of the agenda for the Government of Haiti and its partners and commended the government of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé for its efforts in taking concrete steps to protect children, including through the implementation of the handover protocol signed with the United Nations in 2024.

She said that children under the age of 18 years encountered during security operations must be treated first and foremost as victims and swiftly handed over to child protection services for care, protection and reintegration, in line with the existing handover protocol.

For children who may have committed serious crimes during their association with gangs, juvenile justice standards apply with detention as the last resort, in line with Haiti’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and commitment to the Paris Principles endorsed by the country.

“There is a window of opportunity now to do the right thing as the GSF deploys. Security and child protection cannot be separated. Without protecting these children and supporting all children affected by violence, lasting stability in Haiti will not be possible,” Frazier said, welcoming the GSF’s efforts to put systems in place to protect children and train contingents on child protection.

Frazier, who visited transit centres operated by the Government with support from UNICEF, acknowledged that reintegration of children from gangs is a major and multidimensional challenge for all parties involved, including the government and its partners.

“All children I spoke with told me one thing: they want to go to school, play, learn and overall, simply be children,” she added, underscoring the importance of education and learning as a core part of reintegration.