With violence surging across Haiti, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Sunday that almost half of the gangs which control the vast majority of the capital are made up of children, and the recruitment of children has seen a 70% increase over the past year.

Haiti has suffered from decades of political instability, but in recent months, the Caribbean country has seen a surge in violence with gangs now controlling 80 percent of the capital Port-au-Prince.

“The unprecedented spike, registered between the second quarters of 2023 and 2024, points to a worsening protection crisis for children in the violence-plagued Caribbean Island,” UNICEF said in a statement.

“At present, up to half of all members in armed groups are children.”

Number of children recruited by violent gangs in Haiti up 70%, says UNICEF