They’re not doing this voluntarily,” said Geeta Narayan, UNICEF’s representative in Haiti. “Even when they are armed with weapons, the child here is the victim.”

“Children in Haiti are trapped in a vicious cycle — recruited into the very armed groups that are fueling their desperation, and the numbers are growing,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “This unacceptable trend must be reversed by ensuring children’s safety and welfare are prioritized by all parties.”

Residents of Solino and Nazon, central neighborhoods in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, fled their homes on Thursday as gangs spread to one of the few remaining areas of town not already under their control.