Sexual Violence Survivors Haiti Struggle Without Support

Sexual violence survivors Haiti are confronting a worsening emergency as gang related assaults intensify and critical support systems erode. In Haiti , armed criminal groups are increasingly using sexual violence as a tactic to terrorize communities and consolidate territorial control, particularly in Port au Prince. Survivors who manage to escape these attacks are frequently left without timely medical care, protection, or long term recovery assistance.

Longstanding documentation from Human Rights Watch shows that sexual violence has been systematically deployed by gangs to instill fear and displace populations. New findings from Médecins Sans Frontières indicate that the scale and brutality of assaults have sharply escalated over the past two years, overwhelming fragile healthcare infrastructure.

Survivor Intake Triples As Violence Spreads Since 2015, MSF has treated nearly 17,000 survivors at its Pran Men’m clinic in Port au Prince. Demand has surged dramatically, with the number of survivors seeking care tripling since 2022. Most reported assaults involve multiple perpetrators, firearms, explicit death threats, and coordinated attacks during broader gang raids on neighborhoods.

Displacement compounds vulnerability. Many survivors were attacked while living in informal settlements or makeshift shelters after fleeing earlier violence. These overcrowded sites lack security, privacy, and access to services, exposing women and girls to repeated cycles of abuse.

Access to emergency medical treatment remains dangerously delayed. MSF reports that 67 percent of survivors reached the clinic more than three days after assault, missing the limited window for HIV post exposure prophylaxis. Nearly 59 percent arrived after five days, losing access to emergency contraception that could prevent unintended pregnancies. Such delays significantly increase long term health consequences and psychological trauma.

Safe shelter capacity is severely limited. Referral systems frequently collapse due to unstable funding, and some providers impose eligibility criteria that exclude survivors with complex needs, including pregnant women or those requiring ongoing medical care. Without safe alternatives, many are forced to return to the same unsafe environments where violence occurred.

Funding Gaps And Accountability Challenges Both MSF and Human Rights Watch are urging Haitian authorities to strengthen health services, guarantee survivor centered care, and pursue accountability for perpetrators. International partners are also being called upon to stabilize and expand humanitarian funding, especially as global aid reductions strain frontline services.

Sustained investment in emergency healthcare, safe housing, legal support, and psychosocial services is essential to prevent survivors from being pushed back into harm’s way. Without immediate action, the cycle of violence and neglect risks becoming further entrenched.