On escalating trafficking and exploitation by criminal groups in Haiti

B100228/2026

European Parliament resolution on escalating trafficking and exploitation by criminal groups in Haiti

(2026/2702(RSP))

The European Parliament,

having regard to its previous resolutions on Haiti,

having regard to the Convention on the Rights of the Child,

having regard to the UN OHCHR reports of 2025 on gang violence in Haiti,

having regard to Rule 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

whereas, according to OHCHR, at least 5,519 people were killed and 2,608 injured in Haiti between 1 March 2025 and 15 January 2026;

whereas internal displacement reached 1.45 million in February 2026, while over half of Haitians face acute food insecurity;

whereas, according to OHCHR/BINUH, at least 26 gangs operate in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince as well as in parts of the Artibonite and Centre departments, and the majority are involved in child trafficking;

whereas children are recruited and used by gangs to gather information, monitor security forces, carry weapons and, in some cases, participate in kidnappings, killings and sexual violence;

whereas girls are particularly exposed to rape, sexual exploitation and sexual slavery; whereas at least 1,571 women and girls were victims of sexual violence between 1 March and 31 December 2025;

whereas illicit arms trafficking, illicit financial flows and support networks linked to political and economic actors continue to fuel gang violence, trafficking and exploitation in Haiti;

Strongly condemns the escalating trafficking and exploitation perpetrated by criminal groups in Haiti, including killings, kidnappings, sexual violence, child recruitment and the forced displacement of civilians;

Expresses concern about the trafficking, recruitment and exploitation of children by gangs; stresses that children recruited, used or exploited by gangs must be treated first and foremost as victims and must not be criminalised for acts committed as a direct consequence of their exploitation;

Condemns all forms of sexual violence and exploitation committed against women and girls; calls for access for survivors to medical care and legal protection, and stresses that those responsible must be held accountable;

Calls for increased humanitarian assistance to populations affected by violence and displacement, with particular attention to women, children and displaced persons, and insists that humanitarian access must be safe, rapid and unhindered;

Urges the Haitian authorities to investigate and prosecute serious crimes committed by criminal groups, including trafficking, sexual violence and crimes committed against children, in fair and credible proceedings; calls for the operationalisation of specialised judicial capacity accordingly;

Calls on the EU and its Member States to step up support for security in Haiti, including support to the Haitian National Police and the Gang Suppression Force, while ensuring robust human rights, monitoring and accountability safeguards;

Urges the EU and its Member States to intensify efforts to curb illicit arms trafficking and illicit financial flows to Haiti, and to continue imposing targeted sanctions against gang leaders, sponsors and enablers of criminal violence and human rights abuses;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, the Member States, the UN Secretary-General and the Haitian authorities.