Port-au- Prince (Agenzia Fides) – The current security crisis in the country is leading to a dramatic increase in violence against women on the Caribbean island.
According to a recent United Nations report, several local sources in different parts of the capital Port-au-Prince report a worrying increase in cases of rape and gender-based violence (GBV), perpetrated by unscrupulous gangs to torture and control the victims.
During the months of April to June this year, an average of 40 rape victims per day were reported in the neighborhoods controlled by gangs and especially in the camps for internally displaced persons. Many cases go unreported.
There are currently more than 700,000 internally displaced people in Haiti, half of them children, and 25% of them live in makeshift shelters in Port-au-Prince. These are often overcrowded schools, churches or government buildings, with little or no access to basic services, food or medical care. The camps are also often located in gang-controlled areas, making access to aid particularly difficult.
Haitian human rights organizations continue to raise the alarm about violence against women and girls in a country that mostly ignores their rights, needs and opportunities. This violence is blatant in the shelters for internally displaced people. According to a UN report in July 2024, women and girls are particularly vulnerable in the camps and rape is “used as a targeted tactic in most camps to control their access to humanitarian aid”.
About 90 percent of the women living in the shelters have no source of income and many are forced into prostitution to get food, water, a place to sleep or simply access to a toilet.
The widespread violence has worsened. A few days ago, Haitian police killed Kendy, alias “Jeff Mafia,” considered number two in the cartel led by Jimmy Cherizier, known as “Barbecue.” His death has sparked violent reprisals by armed groups, who have set fire to numerous homes and spread panic in several neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince. In addition, on Tuesday, December 17, the Bernard Mevs hospital, the only neurological trauma center in the country, was destroyed. Threats against the institution began two weeks ago, forcing medical staff to evacuate patients before the attack. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 19/12/2024)
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Publish date : 2024-12-19 03:37:00
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