Since the beginning of 2022, more than 16,000 people have been killed due to armed violence in Haiti, and the United Nations has warned that the situation could be even worse.

UN rights chief Volker Turk has said that the situation of human rights in Haiti has worsened and there has been an increase in abuse and violence.

Haiti, a country plagued by poverty, has long suffered from violent criminal gangs that commit murder, rape, robbery and kidnapping against the background of political instability.

Since January-1, 2022, more people have been killed in armed violence than mentioned and about seven thousand people have been injured, Turk told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva that he started monitoring gangs and related violence.  

Gangs are spreading fear outside the capital Port-au-Prince, and the violence threatens to "destabilize the wider region", he said.  

Tuesday in New York, the United Nations Security Council approved a UN-backed security mission in Haiti with military forces  It has passed the resolution to transform it as a full force.

It is said that the new force can now have a maximum of 5,500 uniformed personnel including police officers and soldiers.  

= International commitment and support is necessary for this, Turk said.  

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has condemned the 'escalation of violence' between gang members, the population and security forces.

Since last March, the Haitian government has increased the use of explosive drones in its anti-gang operations in the capital.

By mid-September, at least 559 people, including 11 children, had died in drone attacks. Most of these drone attacks are illegal under international human rights law, Turk says.  

The fact that the so-called group has killed more than 500 alleged gang members this year is also a matter of 'deep concern', he said.  

He expressed concern that Haitian children are victims of trafficking, exploitation and forced recruitment by gangs.