‘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.”