Sexual violence and abuse remain pervasive and UNFPA partners have reported a sharp increase in gender-based violence. "Sexual violence, including rape and sexual exploitation, continues to be used in gang-controlled areas as a weapon to instill fear and punish the population," declared UNFPA Representative in Haiti, Philippe Serge Degernier. "This violence is making an already critical humanitarian situation even worse, as women and girls are forced to live in fear on a daily basis."

In response to the increasingly challenging context, and the mounting needs of displaced women and girls, UNFPA is supporting reproductive health services in displacement shelters and health facilities that are still functioning. Mobile teams, which include social workers and community mobilizers, are providing treatment, case management and psychosocial support for survivors of gender-based violence in areas controlled by gangs. As capacity and security issues strain the response, UNFPA is training health personnel and providing post-rape kits to health facilities to support survivors of violence. Basic hygiene and maternity supplies are also being distributed to women and girls.

IH/ iciHaiti