The numbers are brutal, but behind them there are faces
Doctors Without Borders says it clearly: they are “alarmed and outraged.” In a single clinic in Port-au-Prince, cases of sexual assault have tripled in four years. It’s not just statistics—it’s people.
“The magnitude by which the numbers have increased has surprised us,” says Diana Manilla Arroyo, the group’s chief of mission. “It’s not just the numbers, but the gravity.”
The victims are no longer old
Before, half of the cases were under 18 years of age. Now they are 24%. The new reality? People between 50 and 80 years old—cases that multiplied by seven. Gangs do not discriminate.
More than one hundred people were attacked by ten or more attackers at the same time. The average is three per case. This is no longer a crime—it is a tactic of war.
“Armed groups are using sexual violence to terrorize, control and subjugate communities,” explains Manilla.
Shelters that do not provide shelter
With 1.4 million displaced, makeshift sites became traps. Young women and children mixed together without protection.
“Mothers are forced to stay close because when a daughter begins to grow up, she can become a victim at any moment,” says one survivor.
The worst: almost 70% of those seeking help are displaced. And clinics don’t find shelters willing to accept them—especially women with children or pregnant women.
“Without safe shelter or relocation options, we discharge patients straight back into the nightmare,” MSF warns.
They will return. They’ve already done it—people coming back after being attacked again. The cycle seems to have no end as long as the gangs control 90% of the capital.
