Haitian women’s groups use Mother’s Day to demand protection for victims of gang violence

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haitian women’s rights advocates used the approach of Mother’s Day to call on authorities to provide urgent protection and assistance to women displaced, impoverished and traumatized by gang violence, arguing that mothers have become some of the most vulnerable victims of the country’s worsening security crisis.

During a May 29 press conference at the International Lawyers’ Office (BAI, its French acronym), activists said thousands of women have been forced from their homes, lost their livelihoods and endured abuse as armed groups continue expanding their control across the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and other parts of the country.

The appeal comes as Haiti faces one of the largest displacement crises in its modern history. More than 1.4 million people have been uprooted by gang violence, according to the United Nations, while women and children account for the majority of those displaced. Human rights organizations have repeatedly documented sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, being used by armed groups as tools of terror and social control.

Advocates say the crisis is compounded by Haiti’s chronically weak justice system, where few perpetrators of sexual violence are prosecuted and victims often lack access to legal, medical and psychological support. The resulting impunity has allowed abuses against women and girls to persist with little accountability.

“Despite the vital role of Haitian mothers and their strength in society, they remain the most mistreated group,” said Costarica Louis, coordinator of the Cultural Association of Struggling Women (ACFEL, its French acronym).

“At a time when gangs are spreading terror, mothers are among the primary victims. They lose their children and their belongings, sleep on the streets, and many are subjected to sexual violence and other forms of abuse,” she added.

A moment to recognize and protect vulnerable women, but also boys

The organizations emphasized that Mother’s Day should be more than a celebration. They said it should also serve as a moment to recognize the suffering of women who have been disproportionately affected by insecurity and displacement.

They urged the government to strengthen protection mechanisms, expand emergency assistance programs and develop long-term solutions for displaced women and survivors of violence.

“We are taking this opportunity to denounce the systematic violence committed against women in Haitian society,” said BAI co-director Marie Katia Dorestant Lefruy. “We are celebrating Mother’s Day to send a message to the Haitian state and cry out for help on behalf of women, particularly those living in displacement camps.”

According to the United Nations, women and children made up more than half of Haiti’s 1.4 million internally displaced people as of May 1. UN Women has also warned that nearly half of all women and girls in Haiti are expected to need humanitarian assistance.

Rights groups say displaced women face heightened risks in overcrowded camps, where access to sanitation, health care and security remains limited. Many have lost businesses or informal economic activities that once supported their families.

Just as it is against women and girls, sexual abuse against young boys is spreading in Haiti. Abuse against boys is being normalized in silence, according to rights groups, due to prejudice, taboo and a lack of institutional support.

“The rape of male minors by men is rampant in Haiti, but it is taboo, which explains why it is rarely talked about,” Marie Rosy Auguste Ducena, program director at the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH), told AyiboPost recently. 

Ducena recounted that a 6-year-old boy was regularly raped by his stepfather, despite his mother’s belief that she had a healthy parental bond with the man. The child subsequently developed chronic infections that required medical examination. Through this process, he disclosed to his family the threats his abuser had made against him. 

The victim revealed that the man who abused him had threatened to kill his mother if the incident were ever made public.

Another case documented by the RNDDH involves an 8-year-old boy, the son of a subcontractor in Port-au-Prince. The boy was raped by a man from his neighborhood. According to Ducena, the child’s posterior muscles were severely damaged, leaving him completely incontinent. 

Growing pressure on Haitian government 

The activists’ appeal adds to growing pressure on Haitian authorities to address the humanitarian consequences of gang violence, particularly for women and children.

“It will not be a gift; women have the right to live with dignity,” said Rachelle Fondechaine, coordinator of  Informed Women Fighters for Haiti’s Development (FEMCADH, its French acronym).

Human rights organizations have long argued that improving security alone will not be enough. They say meaningful progress will require stronger institutions, functioning courts and greater accountability for crimes committed against women and girls.

For many mothers displaced by violence, advocates say, Mother’s Day is not only a time of celebration but also a reminder of the daily struggle to survive amid a crisis that continues to deepen.

“They have even destroyed the tradition of women who sell Mother’s Day flowers. So I am asking the state: How long will it take before it takes care of women in this country?” Fondechaine questioned.

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