Kidnappings of women and children are surging in Haiti as gang violence worsens, with the number of abductions in the first half of 2023 nearly reaching last year’s total.
The United Nations Children’s Fund said in a statement on Monday that close to 300 kidnappings have been reported in the Caribbean nation in the first six months of the year.
Most often, the women and children were taken by armed groups “for financial or tactical gains,” said the agency. It called for the immediate release of those kidnapped.
Gang violence has been on the rise across Haiti—particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince— after the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise worsened widespread political instability.
The UN said in November that armed gangs controlled large swathes of the capital, where they carried out murders, kidnappings, and sexual violence in an effort to expand their influence and “terrorise” residents.
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