United Nations and human rights organizations documented an alarming escalation in the use of sexual violence by Haitian gang networks in 2022, with evidence that rape and other forms of sexual assault were being deployed systematically as tools of territorial control, community intimidation, and the assertion of gang power over civilian populations. The documentation pointed to patterns that went beyond opportunistic violence to suggest organized policy.
In neighborhoods where gangs were consolidating territorial control, women and girls were targeted for sexual violence in ways that appeared designed to break community resistance, drive out resistant households, and establish the gang’s absolute authority over the bodies as well as the movements of community members. The systematic nature of the violence — targeting women of specific ages, occurring in specific phases of gang territorial expansion — pointed to command decisions rather than individual criminal behavior.
Survivors who managed to reach services — and many could not, given the security conditions and the stigma surrounding sexual violence in Haitian society — described experiences of profound trauma. Medical organizations providing care for survivors reported that the injuries they were treating were consistent with extreme violence, including cases requiring surgical intervention. The psychological trauma was equally severe and received even less attention than the physical injuries.
The UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict issued a specific alert about Haiti’s situation, calling on the international community to treat the sexual violence crisis as a priority requiring immediate response. She called for safe spaces for survivors, medical and psychosocial support services, accountability for perpetrators, and security measures that would prevent further victimization. In an environment of near-total impunity, each of these demands faced formidable obstacles.