Rape cases up sharply in Haiti in Q

There was an alarming surge in gender-based violence in Haiti in the first quarter of 2026, UN humanitarians said Monday.



The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said its partners recorded almost 2,000 incidents of gender-based violence, or about 21 cases per day, during the first three months of 2026.



More than 70 percent of the cases involved rape, a dramatic increase from the previous quarter, when 49 percent of incidents were cases of rape. Most of those cases were gang rape, reportedly perpetrated primarily by armed groups. Most survivors are women and girls, said OCHA in a news release.



This follows the sharp rise in gender-based violence last year, when OCHA's partners recorded over 8,000 incidents, a 25 percent increase over 2024.