Only 12 of 100 Haitian camps offer protection from sexual violence, UN says

NEW YORK — Barely more than one in ten camps provide any safeguards against sexual violence, leaving thousands of women and girls exposed to abuse as the country’s humanitarian crisis deepens and the United States scales back support, a United Nations official warned.

The new data announced on Monday Aug. 18 on the gap in services comes as more than one million Haitians are now displaced by gang violence, with women and girls bearing the brunt. Reports of gang rape and other abuses are widespread in overcrowded camps, where families are forced to share tiny spaces and safety is almost nonexistent.

The UN reproductive health agency’s humanitarian coordinator in Haiti, Christian Vovi of UNFPA, told UN News on Monday that with only about 12 of the country’s roughly 100 displacement camps offering real protection for women, the numbers reflect a “desperate” reality.

 “When you talk with women, they are struggling to secure even the most basic necessities,” Vovi said. “Many turn to prostitution to survive, he added, as financial resources vanish and violence spreads unchecked.”

The UN says cases of gender-based violence have continued to rise as displacement expands. In some reported attacks, gang members have burned homes and raped parents in front of their children. With police unable to respond and aid agencies stretched thin, victims are left with few options for protection or justice.

The United States’ funding cuts have worsened the situation. Once the top donor to Haiti’s humanitarian plan, the U.S., has scaled back support, forcing UNFPA to shut down sexual and reproductive health centers, while stocks of post-rape kits are nearly depleted. 

“We can no longer provide services to 25,000 women and girls in certain displacement sites,” Vovi said.

Calls for urgent action

The UN agency continues to distribute dignity kits with basic hygiene items and other limited supplies, but officials stress that the need far outstrips what is available.

 “We need millions of dollars mobilized immediately,” Vovi said, warning that delays will only compound suffering.

The UN is urging both the Haitian government and international donors to step up. “The Haitians think their situation is neglected,” Vovi added, pointing to a sense that the global community has the resources but lacks the will to intervene.

With gangs tightening their grip on the capital and spreading into provinces, aid workers warn that tomorrow may be too late. 

“It is important to act now. “The humanitarian need and the living conditions of women in displacement sites cannot wait,” Wovi warned.