Attachments
The humanitarian situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate. Gang violence in the capital Port-au-Prince and the department of Artibonite is escalating, with much of the violence targeting civilians, including women and girls.
More than 6,250 people have been displaced in the Artibonite department following attacks by armed gangs in Saint Marc commune, on 3 October. Houses were set on fire and at least 70 people were killed. More than 30,000 people were already displaced in Artibonite; and population movements from Saint Marc commune are still ongoing.
People have sought refuge in five displacement sites where access to shelter, food, water, sanitation and hygiene, and health care – including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and protection services – is extremely limited.
On 8 October, in close collaboration with the Artibonite Health Department, UNFPA deployed a mobile clinic to Grand Ford displacement site to provide SRH and protection services to women and girls affected by the recent armed gang attacks. A total of 117 people received SRH and gender-based violence services, including 107 women and girls.
UNFPA will provide Inter-Agency Reproductive Health Kits, with essential medicines, equipment and supplies for emergency obstetric care and the clinical management of rape, to ensure that supported health facilities can continue to provide maternal health services and medical support for survivors of violence.
Situation Overview
- The humanitarian situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate. Gang violence in the capital Port-au-Prince and the department of Artibonite is escalating, with much of the violence targeting civilians, including women and girls.
- Women and girls who have fled their homes because of gang violence are running out of options to support themselves and their families; they are increasingly reliant on negative coping mechanisms, including transactional sex, especially for girls.
- The lack of disaggregated data for Artibonite is hampering UNFPA’s response. UNFPA has deployed implementing partners to collect data, in close collaboration with the Ministry on the Status and Rights of Women Artibonite. Data includes the number of women and girls who have been affected by the violence and the number who are pregnant and breastfeeding.
- The government has set up a task force under the leadership of the Ministry on the Status and Rights of Women and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and which includes humanitarian actors, to coordinate the on-going humanitarian response, including in Artibonite.
- There are gaps in specialized medical services in Artibonite. Some of the injured, including those with severe head trauma, had to be referred to the capital, Port-au-Prince, for treatment due to a lack of specialized doctors and medical supplies.
- Humanitarian access remains a challenge in areas under the control of gangs where there is a high risk of attacks.