The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is reporting an alarming increase in gender-based violence in Haiti, with nearly 2,000 incidents recorded during the first three months of 2026.
According to Farhan Haq, humanitarian partners documented an average of approximately 21 cases of gender-based violence per day during the January-to-March period.
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More than 70 percent of the reported incidents involved rape, a significant rise from the previous quarter, when rape accounted for 49 percent of cases.
Haq said the majority of these assaults were gang rapes, reportedly committed primarily by armed groups operating across the country. Most survivors were women and girls.
The surge follows a sharp increase in violence last year, when humanitarian agencies recorded more than 8,000 incidents of gender-based violence in Haiti, representing a 25 percent increase over the previous year.
Despite the worsening crisis, support services for survivors remain critically underfunded.
Haq said that of the US$15 million needed this year to provide health, protection, and psychosocial support services, only US$1.2 million has been received, just 8 percent of the required funding.
The funding gap is severely limiting access to emergency medical care within the critical 72-hour period following a sexual assault, as well as restricting the availability of counseling services, psychosocial assistance, and temporary shelter.
Although some survivors have been able to access medical treatment, safe spaces, and protection services through humanitarian partners, available resources are far from sufficient to meet current needs.
The United Nations and its humanitarian partners are urging the international community to increase funding to strengthen survivor services and expand protection efforts in areas hardest hit by gang violence.
Haiti continues to face one of the most severe humanitarian emergencies in the Western Hemisphere.
The United Nations estimates that approximately 1.45 million people are internally displaced, while nearly six million Haitians, roughly half the population, are experiencing acute food insecurity.
OCHA said additional funding is urgently needed to support survivors of sexual violence and to bolster protection services in communities affected by ongoing armed conflict.
