Rape hell in Haiti: Sex attacks triple as gang violence surges – with more than 100 victims raped by at least ten people at a time

The number of sexual abuse cases treated at a clinic in Haiti’s capital has tripled in the past four years as gang violence rises in the troubled Caribbean country, a health charity warned on Wednesday.

Médecins Sans Frontières said it was ‘alarmed and outraged’ by the extreme levels of sexual and gender-based violence.

“We were shocked by how large the numbers were,” Diana Manilla Arroyo, the group’s chief of mission in Haiti, said in a telephone interview. ‘It’s not just about numbers, it’s about seriousness.’

More than half of the patients treated at the Pran Men clinic, which opened in Port-au-Prince a decade ago, were attacked by more than one member of armed groups, the charity, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said in a new report.

‘More than 100 people were attacked by 10 or more perpetrators simultaneously,’ he said, noting an average of three perpetrators per case.

The clinic has treated nearly 17,000 patients over the past decade, including just 2,300 in the first nine months of last year. More than 350 of these patients were men and boys, MSF said.

The demographic characteristics of those attacked have also changed. Before 2022, half of the clinic’s cases involved patients under the age of 18; today this rate was 24 percent. According to MSF, the number of cases in the 50-80 age group has increased sevenfold.

Experts say gangs control an estimated 90 percent of Port-au-Prince, and many use sexual abuse to instill fear.

According to MSF, abuse occurs during kidnappings, land seizures and control of humanitarian aid.

“Armed groups use sexual violence to terrorize, control and subjugate communities,” Manilla said.

A woman combs another’s hair at a shelter for families displaced by gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, January 27, 2026.

The report stated that an unidentified 53-year-old woman said she was raped by three men old enough to have her own children.

He was recorded as saying, ‘They beat me and broke my teeth.’ ‘After raping me, they also raped my daughter.’

With 1.4 million people in Haiti displaced by gang violence in recent years, according to the United Nations, those living in makeshift shelters are particularly at risk.

A 34-year-old woman mentioned in the report noted that young women and boys were found together in shelters.

‘Mothers have to stay close because when the child starts to grow up, he can become the target of rape at any time,’ he said.

Between January and September 2025, nearly 70 percent of people seeking help after being sexually abused were displaced, according to the UN.

Meanwhile, MSF said its clinic was struggling to find accommodation to accept patients, and that women with children, women who were pregnant or in need of medical care were often turned away.

“The lack of available services exposes survivors to the same risks that led to their initial trauma,” MSF said. ‘Without safe housing or relocation options, MSF sends its patients back to the nightmare they came from, only to see them return another day after being subjected to violence again.’

A child walks past a garbage pile housing families displaced by gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, January 27, 2026

A police officer patrols a street in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, January 26, 2026

On March 20, 2024, after gunshots were heard in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, a woman carrying a child fled the area.

Fear of reporting cases of sexual abuse persists due to ongoing stigma and lack of trust in Haiti’s police and justice system.

Another reason to avoid medical care is to protect one’s life; Because they are automatically associated with the armed group, civilians living in a neighborhood controlled by a gang are beaten or killed by vigilante groups.

Since 2022, the proportion of survivors seeking help at Pran Men’s clinic within three days of the attack has halved, from almost two-thirds to one-third, according to MSF. As a result, almost 70 percent of them arrived too late to receive HIV post-exposure prophylaxis, the group said.

Additionally, the proportion of patients seeking care within five days of the attack dropped by almost half, from 72 percent to 41 percent. MSF said this meant around 60 per cent missed the opportunity to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

A local nonprofit is reaching out to women using art, theater and music to fight stigma; survivors write and talk in focus groups about their experiences from a safe place.

‘They find a way to understand their own reality, their own experience,’ said Pascale Solages, coordinator of the independent Haitian feminist group Nègès Mawon. ‘It might be difficult,’ he said.

MSF called on the Haitian government to allocate more funds to free healthcare and services for victims of sexual abuse.

“One immediate and practical measure it could implement is a 24/7 government-operated helpline to provide confidential guidance and connect survivors to critical resources,” MSF said.

‘Many lack access to medical care, are displaced from their homes, and face major barriers to finding support and rebuilding their lives.’