Port-au-Prince - Victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, urgently need vital services such as safe shelters, mental health support, and medical care, as rapes and other assaults have become widespread during violence and insecurity in the city in recent years.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has provided comprehensive medical and psychological care to victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence through the Pran Men'm clinic in Port-au-Prince since 2015. After a citywide suspension of all our medical activities due to threats against staff and patients in November, the clinic reopened in December and is continuing to receive patients 24/7, free-of charge.

“We are drawing much-needed attention to the challenges that survivors face in Haiti and beyond, as well as the concrete ways that people and organisations can offer support,” says Diana Manilla Arroyo, MSF head of mission in Haiti. “One of the problems we see again and again is that while we can offer comprehensive healthcare, survivors cannot safely return to their regular lives and have no safe place to go.”

Violence has become widespread in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area in recent years, as seen in frequent clashes between armed groups and the police, and in the closure of major institutions, such as public hospitals, due to insecurity. Our teams have worked to increase access to care for victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Port-au-Prince and have seen more patients than ever before. 

In 2024, our teams provided care to 4,463 victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence at Pran Men'm clinic and Carrefour Maternity hospital, and through a new programme at our hospital in Cité Soleil. In 2023, we provided care to 3,207 victims and survivors at Pran Men'm clinic and Carrefour Maternity hospital, which was a sharp increase from 1,775 in 2022.

We also provided care to victims and survivors through mobile clinics in multiple areas of Port-au-Prince.

While our teams continue to receive many victims and survivors of violence by intimate partners, since mid-2022, more patients say that their assailant was previously unknown to them, and many incidents have involved armed groups, often with more than one assailant. Among the victims and survivors are children and people who have been displaced from their homes. A typical method used by these groups is intimidation with weapons. 

“I was at my father’s house when we heard someone knocking. A voice from outside said that he would shoot if we did not open the door,” says one of the survivors. “When we opened, we saw three armed men, hooded, who threatened to kill us if I did not agree to sleep with them. And then, the three of them raped me.”

Following these incidents, individuals often face a journey of internal displacement, carrying both physical and psychological scars from their experiences. 

“After the incident, we had to flee the area and stay in another part of the city. I felt dead inside because the memories of the attack tormented me and made me cry non-stop,” continues the survivor.
The current turmoil in Haiti has made it difficult for victims and survivors to seek justice through the legal system or obtain protection from the authorities.

Many victims and survivors stay in Port-au-Prince’s gathering sites for internally displaced people, where they face additional risks. Others have no choice but to sleep on the streets or return to areas where the sexual aggression occurred.

Only a few emergency shelters exist for sexual and gender-based violence victims and survivors in Port-au-Prince, and they have very limited capacity. People may be limited to staying for only a few days, or excluded because they have children or because they have certain medical conditions. They may also need financial or legal assistance, but these services are also far too limited. Medical and psychological support is also essential to support healing and recovery. 

“I found a psychologist who spoke with me and lifted my spirits,” says one patient who shared her experience on how MSF services helped her deal with the aftermath of abuse. “She explained that the doctors would do everything possible to help me.”

Medical and psychological services should be available at every stage of a victim’s or survivor’s recovery — and timely medical attention is crucial for providing the most comprehensive care possible, including immediate post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV and contraception.
While we have increased our response, more services are urgently needed within the communities most affected by sexual and gender-based violence.

“Everyone who has been a victim of sexual violence deserves to make informed choices about their health and their future,” says Arroyo. “Relevant information and services must be more widely available, such as medical and psychological care, socioeconomic support, shelter and protection, so that survivors can decide what will best ensure their dignity, health and bodily autonomy.”