Haiti: First Quarter Of 2026 Sees An Alarming Increase In Rape Cases

(MENAFN- Caribbean News Global) PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA reports an alarming surge in gender‐based violence in Haiti in the first three months of this year.

Humanitarian partners have recorded almost 2,000 incidents of gender-based violence, or about 21 cases per day. More than 70 percent of the cases involved rape, a dramatic increase from the previous quarter, when 49 percent of incidents were rapes. Most of these cases were gang rapes, reportedly perpetrated primarily by armed groups. Most survivors are women and girls.

This follows the sharp rise in gender-based violence last year, when partners recorded just over 8000 incidents – and that was a 25 percent increase compared to 2024.

Despite the growing crisis, support services remain severely underfunded. So far this year, only $1.2 million of the $15 million required has been received – that is just 8 percent.

This is severely limiting survivors' access to emergency medical care within the critical 72-hour window after an assault. It also limits psychosocial support and temporary emergency shelter. Our partners on the ground report that with the resources available, some survivors have been able to access medical, psychosocial, and protection services such as safe spaces for women and girls. However, needs continue to far exceed current capacity.

The UN and its partners in Haiti stress the urgent need to scale up funding for health, protection services and psychosocial support, particularly in the areas most affected by violence.

Overall, Haiti faces a severe humanitarian crisis. Some 1.45 million people are internally displaced, and close to 6 million people – half of Haiti's population – are acutely food insecure.

OCHA calls for additional funding to strengthen services for survivors and protection efforts in areas most affected by violence.

The humanitarian gender-based violence snapshot is based on aggregated reports submitted by various humanitarian partners on the ground in Haiti. The data presented today reflects cumulative figures based solely on the information available and shared by partners for each reporting period.

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