‘They said I had to kill him’: the Haiti gangs forcing children into a life of brutality

Jul 16, 2026 - 12:45

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‘They said I had to kill him’: the Haiti gangs forcing children into a life of brutality

With the state shattered, armed gangs offer food, shelter and perilous safety to young people – but at a terrible cost

When Davensky was eight years old, he was kidnapped from school. An armed gang pulled a black bag over his head, dragged him from class and threw him into a truck. He was taken to an unknown location, stripped and locked inside a refrigerated room. Some time later, his captors handed him a gun.

“They pointed to another child and said I had to kill him. It was a test. They said if I didn’t pull the trigger, they would cut off my fingers,” he says, speaking in quick bursts. “I did it.”