Sexual Violence in Haiti
- 19 hours ago
- 3 min read
By: Katie Ko
Between January and October of 2024, more than 4,000 girls and women reported sexual violence in Haiti. This is a sharp 1,000% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Nathalye Cotrino from the Human Rights Watch has stated, “the rule of law in Haiti is so broken that members of criminal groups rape girls or women without fearing any consequences” (Human Rights Watch, 2024).
The continuous expansion of criminal group activity has led to a sharp rise in gender-based violence (GBV). “They rape because they have the power,” a humanitarian aid worker reported. Criminal groups have used rape as a “weapon of terror” and “punishment” since 2023 (United Nations Human Rights, 2024). Sexual violence “specifically targets women and girls as an expression of gender discrimination and as means of exercising territorial and population control” (Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, 2025). It is also used as means of humiliation. This demonstrates that GBV is not random nor incidental in Haiti. The violence is deliberate and strategic, and functions to silence women, instill fear, and destabilize communities as well as to harm individuals.
Many suffer the effects of physical abuse and often end up pregnant with no access to essential services, with many contracting sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV. These women and girls are hesitant to report these cases or seek help, with those who do report often missing the critical 72-hour window to access post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent HIV infection or emergency contraception. Haiti has a total abortion ban, leading to some resorting to unsafe abortions, which put their lives at risk. Furthermore, women’s access to health facilities is very low, with less than 30% of facilities open in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Port-au-Prince is Haiti’s political and economic center, and also the location where many internally displaced people have fled for safety and assistance. If healthcare access is critically restricted even in the capital, the situation in rural and gang-controlled areas is likely even more dire. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Border/MSF) provided free emergency care across Port-au-Prince for over 30 years. However, they suspended their activities in November 2024 after attacks, death threats, and rape threats were made against their staff. Poverty is prominent in Haiti, with about 37.6% of Haitians living on less than $2.15 per day in 2025 (World Bank, 2025). This leaves many survivors with little to no options.
According to the IACHR, it is estimated that over 1.4 million people are internally displaced, with over half being children. Temporary shelters have been put in place, but women and girls are continuously exposed to high risks of sexual violence due to overcrowding and a lack of services. The UN has reported that more than 100 sites are in place for displaced people, but only eleven to twelve sites are covered with GBV protection services (United Nations, 2025).
There continues to be an urgent need for funding for the Haitian women and girls. In 2020, the United States provided about 65% of Haiti’s humanitarian funding, but now cannot provide 25,000 women and girls with services due to funding cuts in early 2025. Additionally, the US has funded 100% of the post-rape kits since 2023, but now stocks are low. The Human Rights Watch has recognized that restoring basic security conditions is essential to combat the sexual violence crisis in Haiti.
Works Cited
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). (n.d.-b). Haiti: IACHR expresses concern over persistent sexual violence against women, girls, and adolescents. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). https://www.oas.org/en/IACHR/jsForm/?File=/en/iachr/media_center/PReleases/2025/277.asp&utm_content=country-hti&utm_term=class-mon
First Person: ‘Tomorrow is too late’ to scale up humanitarian aid in Haiti. (2025, August 25). UN News. https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/08/1165676
Haiti: Scarce protection as sexual violence escalates. (2025, December 12). Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/11/25/haiti-scarce-protection-as-sexual-violence-escalates
United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti. (2024). QUARTERLY REPORT ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN HAITI. https://binuh.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/quarterly_report_on_the_human_rights_situation_in_haiti.pdf
(2025). World Bank Data360.
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