CURRENT SITUATION IN HAITI 

This year the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area has been experiencing an unprecedented complex crisis, marked by persistent insecurity and widespread violence that are paralyzing the daily lives of Haiti’s inhabitants. Violent clashes between armed groups and the Haitian National Police, deliberate arson attacks and targeted attacks on vital community pillars–hospitals, schools, and markets—have forced the population into a state of chaos where daily survival has become a struggle.  

These acts of violence have not only destroyed essential goods but have also driven thousands of people to flee their homes. This situation is creating a wave of forced displacement that is aggravating an already critical humanitarian crisis and making relief efforts even more difficult in a country where government support is proving virtually non-existent. On December 31, 2024, there were more than 1,041,229 Internally Displaced People (IDP) in Haiti, living in extremely critical conditions, where food, drinking water, and shelter are inaccessible luxuries (IOM, 2024).

During all of this, the ongoing rise of armed groups, which now control over 80% of the capital, impose a ruthless reign of terror. These criminal gangs do not hesitate to kill and sow chaos throughout the entire area, lashing out at an abandoned population struggling daily in a desperate quest for survival. 

This devastating situation disproportionately affects children, women, and other vulnerable people groups. Children are the main victims of insecurity and account for more than half of the displaced population. They are being recruited by gangs and recruitment has been reported to have increased by 70% in the past year.  

A report released by Human Rights Watch last year found that at least 30% of the members of the criminal gangs terrorizing the country were minors (HWR, 2024), and those numbers are thought to have increased since then. Driven by hunger and poverty, these children become instruments of violence, forced to commit criminal acts and subjected to inhumane abuse. Their vulnerability continues to worsen, says HRW in its report. UNICEF estimates that 3.3 million Haitian children are in need of help in 2025.

The situation for women and girls is already vulnerable due to instability and continues to become increasingly worse. Gender-Based Violence (GBV), particularly rape and sexual assault, has increased and is aggravated by a persistent lack of punishment of criminal behavior and law enforcement intervention. Regions that are under the control of armed groups, as well as sites for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), have become particularly dangerous places for women and girls. While they are fleeing violence, they find themselves in overcrowded, inadequately secured spaces, where they are confronted with all forms of exploitation and sexual abuse. The lack of access to basic services–such as sanitary facilities, hygiene products, and medical care–accentuates their vulnerability. Without any means of protection, they become easy targets for attackers. 

RAPHA’S RESPONSE

Rapha’s team in Haiti has been working hard to respond to the needs of children and families directly affected by the violence and instability, while also helping to create and strengthen a safety net of protection for vulnerable children in affected communities.  

Our psychologists and social workers are providing individual and group counseling to women and girl survivors of sexual violence resulting from gang violence and forced displacement. They are working to provide trauma therapy to help them with emotional recovery, resilience building, and the development of coping skills, life skills, and strategies to mitigate the risks of community and domestic violence.  

Our team is working tirelessly to identify and provide relocation for survivors and their families, including safe housing to prevent further vulnerability to violence and abuse. Our staff has also been working to provide income-generating activities to support and bring economic empowerment for further protection for women and their children.  

We know the importance of healing from trauma, and providing economic stability can help to counter the negative impact of violence against women and girls. The goal is to strengthen families for the long term and reduce young people's involvement in organized crime–this will help bring a lasting impact on their families and communities. In Haiti, women are often the mainstay of households, and investing in women has a direct impact on all family members. Improving women's ability to deal with their own trauma helps to create a family climate conducive to raising healthy children, reducing the likelihood of children becoming involved in organized crime. 

Many children have been separated from their families because of the mass displacement of people due to the ongoing gang attacks on communities. Rapha’s Haiti team is supporting Haitian social services in the identification, medical care, and family reintegration of these vulnerable children who have been separated from their families.  

Rapha is working with vulnerable communities and IDP camp communities to raise awareness and provide resources. Raising community awareness about human rights, abuse prevention, and gender-based violence improves the ability of individuals and communities to prevent and respond to violence and abuse, and it also helps to prevent the involvement of children in armed groups. We are so proud of the work our team in Haiti is doing and the impact they are having in such a difficult context.