Amnesty International details gruesome impact of gang violence on children in Haiti

APNews - 12/02
Amnesty International has released a report that details the impact gang violence has had on children across Haiti and called for immediate action.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Haiti’s children are increasingly caught in the crossfire of gang violence, forced to carry weapons, spy on police and rival gangs and run errands for gunmen, according to a report released Wednesday by Amnesty International.

One of 51 children interviewed by the human rights group said he was constantly pressured by a gang to fight alongside it.

“They killed people in front of me and asked me to burn their bodies. But I don’t have the heart for that,” the unidentified boy was quoted as saying.

An estimated 30% to 50% of gang members are now children, according to UNICEF.

Amnesty International said the children “had no choice, and that their involvement was predominantly out of hunger or fear.”

Nearly two million people are on the verge of starvation in Haiti, and more than one million children are estimated to b...
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