Thousands of women and girls displaced by gang violence in Haiti are at risk of a “surge” in sexual assault, the UN warned Tuesday, denouncing the deplorable living conditions in the capital’s makeshift camps.
“The risk of sexual violence for women and girls living in displacement sites in the capital Port-au-Prince is increasing rapidly, in part due to their deplorable living conditions,” the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said in a statement.
Among the approximately 185,000 people forced to flee their homes in Port-au-Prince, many are living in makeshift camps that the UN agency visited.
In 14 of the camps reviewed, more than half of the toilets and many of the showers are not separated between men and women, many of the showers do not lock, and many sites have no lights at night.
“As a result, many women and girls are at risk of sexual assault every time they go to the toilet or take a shower,” UNFPA said.
“With what I’ve been through, I would have preferred to die,” said a mother of seven who was sexually assaulted while sleeping in a park after fleeing gangs in the statement. “When they saw that there was no man with me, they attacked me, even though I was four months pregnant. I live in pain, I have trouble breathing, I’m afraid for my daughter who is 11 years old.”
And these types of attacks are taking off in the country.
“Between March and May 2024, the number of cases of sexual and gender-based violence recorded by UNFPA and its partners increased by more than 40%, but these reported cases are only a small part of the total.”
According to UN figures, these acts of violence increased from 250 in January-February to more than 1,500 in March, reaching more than 2,000 in April-May.
In total, from January to May 2024, 3,949 cases of gender-based violence were reported, including 65% rape and 7% other sexual assaults, mainly committed by gang members. These violences concerned 75% adult women and 20% minor girls, and 61% displaced persons.
In this context, UNFPA is renewing its appeal for donations of $28 million to strengthen reproductive health and services for victims of sexual violence in 2024. An appeal only funded at 19%.
Haiti has long been wracked by political, humanitarian and security crises, including gang violence. But the situation deteriorated sharply in late February when gangs launched coordinated attacks in Port-au-Prince, forcing the ouster of disputatious Prime Minister Ariel Henry.