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We’ve discussed rampant insecurity in Haiti before in the Daily Brief. In this edition, we’re going to look at one particularly disturbing aspect of it.
The criminal groups that control large parts of Haiti have been intensifying their attacks against the population in recent weeks. This has included subjecting girls and women to horrific sexual abuse.
Criminal groups often use sexual violence to instill fear in rival territories, but sometimes, as one aid worker told us, they simply do it because they can: “They rape because they have the power. Sometimes they do it for days or weeks.”
Between January and October, nearly 4,000 girls and women reported sexual violence, including gang rape, mostly committed by members of criminal groups. According to the UN, the increase in cases involving children is 1,000 percent, compared to the same period last year.
And, of course, this is most likely just a fraction of the real number of cases, because most go unreported.
Many survivors suffer from the effects of physical abuse and mistreatment and/or end up pregnant, with no access to medical, psychosocial, or legal services. Sexually transmitted infections affect a large number.
Restoring basic security conditions is essential to combat sexual violence. The Haitian National Police and the UN-authorized mission – the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission – are struggling. The international community needs to step up and urgently increase funding to support an appropriate security response.
But it’s not just “hard security” measures that are desperately needed here. Haiti’s partners should also provide the necessary resources for the international mission to operate effectively on all sorts of levels.
As of September, the UN had only received 17 percent of the required US$16 million needed to strengthen and expand access to essential services for girls and women.
International partners could also do a lot more to help improve the ability of the transitional government, as well as grassroots and international organizations, to address the needs of survivors of sexual violence.
And then there’s justice. As HRW’s Nathalye Cotrino, says: “The rule of law in Haiti is so broken that members of criminal groups rape girls or women without fearing any consequences.”
The UN’s human rights office in Haiti has been supporting the formation of specialized judicial units to investigate and prosecute those responsible for serious crimes, including sexual violence. However, they still need an official decree from the transitional government, so they can be fully operational.
Security, support, and justice – Haiti’s girls and women deserve a life free from any kind of violence.
