Women and girls in Haiti facing 'explosion' of sexual violence, says MSF

Deteriorating conditions in Haiti have led to an 'explosion' of sexual violence, says MSF; women and girls who have been displaced from their homes are particularly vulnerable.

Gang violence and political instability in Haiti have displaced close to one and a half million people. They've also led to an explosion of sexual violence, as living conditions and public services deteriorate. Most of the victims are women and girls.

Thousands of women displaced from their homes are forced to seek refuge in a makeshift shelter in Port-au-Prince.

One 29-year-old woman, who asked not to be identified, said that she went shopping for salt in March 2025 when she was attacked by three men.

“After that, my life became difficult. Sometimes I live life without truly living.”

She says she feels that she has a scar in her heart.

At a press conference in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince on Wednesday, representatives of international NGO Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF, said they’re “alarmed and outraged” by the level of sexual and gender-based violence they see at their clinic.

“It is a daily reality for many women and girls living in a city plunged into a major humanitarian crisis marked by widespread violence and massive population displacement,” said Diana Manilla, MSF's Chief of Mission in Haiti.

MSF says the number of sexual abuse cases has tripled in the last four years and that 70 percent of those patients have been displaced.

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

Gangs control an estimated 90 percent of Port-au-Prince, with many resorting to sexual abuse to instill fear, experts say

Now the NGO is calling on Haiti's government to allocate more money for healthcare and for services to help survivors rebuild their lives.