Sexual assault used as a tactic to control women’s access to humanitarian aid, UN Women reports

Gender-based violence is increasing against women and girls in “most camps” in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, as a way to control access to needed resources, according to a recent report by UN Women. The report, published in July, shows the alarming living conditions and lack of security faced by 300,000 displaced women and girls in Haiti, exacerbated by ongoing political instability, escalating gang violence, and hurricane season further threatening the Caribbean Island.

In many camps, aggression towards women, particularly through rape, is being used as a deliberate strategy to control their access to limited humanitarian aid. Only 2 percent of women surveyed had leadership roles in managing displacement sites, highlighting the urgent need for active participation of women and girls in decision-making and immediate protection measures for those at risk.

 “Our report tells us that the level of insecurity and brutality, including sexual violence, that women are facing at the hands of gangs in Haiti is unprecedented,” UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous, said. “It must stop now.”

The survey, conducted in the six most populated and diverse Internally Displaced Persons sites of Port au Prince, shows most camps have no lighting or locks in essential areas like bedrooms and toilets. In contrast, those living in the camps are exposed to daily threats from armed gangs. The constant danger of stray bullets and other security risks underscore the urgent need for improved protection in the camps.

The survey was conducted through a questionnaire to 98 people and focus group discussions with 140 women and girls.

Results showed that over 88 percent of women interviewed had no source of income in the camps. As a result, over 10 percent said they had resorted to or considered the possibility of sex work/prostitution to meet their needs at least once, and a further 20 percent knew at least one person who had done so. 

Some 16 percent of women respondents said they felt intimidated, harassed, or traumatized by violent armed gangs, and almost 70 percent said they were mentally affected by the upsurge in violence. Only 10 percent of women surveyed reported having access to health services in displacement camps. 

“We urge the newly appointed government to take measures to prevent and respond to the violence women and girls are subjected to, and to increase women’s participation in the camps’ management so that their security concerns are listened to and acted upon,” Bahous said.

UN Women is not the only organization calling for more women in leadership and decision-making roles. 

A policy framework authored by the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH)—a U.S.-based human rights nonprofit—and endorsed by 68 Haitian and 54 global organizations calls for women’s full participation in Haiti’s transition government. 

The policy guide lays out the “well-established and legally binding principles of equality under Haitian and international law” alongside best practices for successful transitions, including the material inclusion of women in leadership and the centering of concerns specifically affecting women and girls.

“Haitian women and girls are entitled to dignity and equality as a matter of Haitian law, which also includes international human rights protections,” said Haitian human rights attorney Rosy Auguste Ducena of the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH). “When women are silenced, half the population is denied justice and this effort at transition towards democracy and human rights is undermined. Gender equity is not negotiable – it is a fundamental human right and a central pillar of an effective transition.”

According to the UN Women’s Report, women and girls account for 54 percent of the 580,000 internally displaced people in Haiti.

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