The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Wednesday of an alarming increase in gender-based violence in Haiti, especially against women and girls, driven by ongoing insecurity. From April to June of this year, aid agencies documented over 3,000 incidents of gender-based violence, with over 1,000 reported in June alone.
These incidents bring the total number of cases in the first half of the year to 5,500. Nearly 70 percent of the cases involved rape, many of which were gang rapes reportedly perpetrated by non-state armed groups. Most of the survivors were women and girls, and over half of the survivors were displaced. This surge in gender-based violence follows a sharp uptick last year, when humanitarian organizations recorded just over 8,000 incidents.
The situation is unfolding against a backdrop of large-scale displacement and forced returns. According to the latest figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), nearly 1.5 million people are displaced within Haiti, with more than 300,000 in the Port-au-Prince Metropolitan Area (PPMA) alone. Meanwhile, more than 140,000 Haitians were forcibly returned to Haiti between January and June of this year — an 11 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Aid agencies report that available resources have enabled some survivors to access medical, psychosocial, and protection services, such as safe spaces for women and girls. However, needs continue to far exceed current capacity.
Despite extremely challenging operational conditions, UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) continue to provide essential protection services, including support to obtain civil documentation, information on rights and available services, and psychosocial support.
But insecurity, access restrictions, and funding shortages continue to limit the scope of humanitarian assistance. The US$880 million humanitarian relief appeal for 2026 aims to support 4.2 million people in urgent need. To date, it is only 40 percent funded, having received less than $352 million thus far.
Haiti is grappling with surging gang activity, the collapse of vital public services, and frequent natural disasters, including droughts and floods. The ongoing violence has brought the country to the brink of collapse. In 2026, over half of the population — 6.4 million people — are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Widespread violence, poverty, rising living costs, low agricultural production, and expensive food imports have exacerbated existing food insecurity, leaving many women, men, and children suffering from hunger and malnutrition.
According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, more than 5.8 million Haitians — roughly 52 percent of the population — faced crisis levels (IPC Phase 3) of hunger or worse from March to June. Of those, over 1.8 million experienced emergency levels (IPC Phase 4).