June 2025
"Sometimes I want to hurt myself... to end my life. What keeps me alive, what prevents me from giving up, are my children", shares R., a 35-year-old internally displaced woman in Haiti who survived rape and sexual assault by armed gang members. To protect her identity, we refer to her as R., a practice used throughout this article to respect survivors’ privacy.
Since March 2024, the escalation of armed violence in Haiti’s Port-au-Prince metropolitan area has been marked by a surge in gender-based violence (GBV), predominantly affecting women and girls. According to Haiti’s GBV sub-cluster, co-led by the Ministry for the Status of Women and Women's Rights (MCFDF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), nearly 6,500 GBV cases were reported in 2024, with 1,250 more recorded in January and February 2025. Over 60% of these cases involve sexual violence, often tied to forced displacement. Humanitarian workers believe these figures are likely underestimated due to fear, stigma, and limited access to services.
In response to this emergency, the Ƶ/ World Health Organization (Ƶ/WHO) is working closely with Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) and local partners to meet the urgent health needs of GBV survivors, ensuring access to medical care and psychosocial support.
Psychosocial support at the heart of the response
To address the emotional toll of GBV, Ƶ/WHO, with financial support from the and has strengthened medical and psychosocial services at sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Eleven psychologists and eleven social workers have been trained and deployed to provide counseling, psychosocial support, and referrals to health facilities. Coordinated by local health authorities, these teams create safe spaces for survivors in a context where fear and stigma continue to silence the voices of too many women.
"I was the victim of something several people did to me that I didn't consent to," explains F., 34, another survivor. "I thought about suicide because I didn't want what I went through to become a dishonor for me or my children.”
Local women's organizations—Kay Fanm, SOFA and Fondation TOYA—have been mobilized as implementing partners to further strengthen this grassroots action. Deeply rooted in communities, they build trust, identify cases, and accompany survivors like F. through an often long and complex recovery process. “Suicidal thoughts wouldn’t leave me. But when I went to TOYA, I was able to receive real support. Thanks to their help, I found a glimmer of hope again,” adds F.
Strengthening health facility response to gender-based violence
Sexual violence leaves deep psychological and physical scars, making access to quality medical care critical. Ƶ/WHO has equipped nine health facilities with specialized tools to treat survivors effectively: rape care kits, gynaecological tables, sterile instruments, and essential medicines. Additionally, 50 healthcare workers have been trained or retrained in gender-sensitive protocols, such as the provision of post-exposure prophylaxis against HIV, to ensure compassionate, high-quality clinical and psychosocial care.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to this crisis,” said Dr. Oscar Barreneche, Ƶ/WHO Representative in Haiti. “It is our collective duty to support survivors, strengthen the capacity of health institutions, and ensure that every woman and girl who has experienced violence has access to quality care, with respect and dignity.”
By combining psychosocial support, medical care, and community-driven efforts, Ƶ/WHO and its partners are helping Haiti’s survivors reclaim hope and rebuild their lives.