The latest report from UN Women, published Wednesday July 17, 2024, reveals an increase in sexual violence against women and girls in Haiti, due to insecurity.

According to UN Women, attacks against women and girls and, more specifically, rape, are perpetrated in the majority of camps as a deliberate tactic to control women's access to very limited humanitarian aid.

Women and girls in particular are at risk of sexual violence in makeshift camps, the report highlights. In total, 300,000 Haitian women and girls are displaced in Haiti without access to basic security and health services.

"According to our report, the level of insecurity and brutality, including sexual violence, that women face at the hands of gangs in Haiti is unprecedented. It must be stopped immediately," said Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, in a statement.

The survey also reveals that more than 88% of the women interviewed have no source of income in the camps. As a result, more than 10% of them had to turn to prostitution at least once or considered doing so to meet their needs, and a further 20% knew at least one person who had used it.

About 16% of women surveyed said they felt intimidated, harassed or traumatized by violent armed gangs and almost 70% said they were mentally shocked by the escalating violence. Only 10% of women surveyed reported having access to health services in IDP camps.

HL/ HaitiLibre