UNITED NATIONS (CMC)– The United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, has sounded the alarm over the sexual violence crisis in gang-ravaged Haiti.

Patten raised the alarm over a surge in reports of sexual violence against women and girls since the beginning of the year, particularly rape, gang rape and sexual slavery.

“These heinous crimes are overwhelmingly concentrated in areas under gang control,” she said, warning that sexual violence is being used deliberately and systematically by gangs to assert power and punish certain communities.

The UN official said survivors have reported being assaulted in their own homes or public spaces.

Haiti has been gripped by spiralling gang violence ever since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, and according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the subsequent unrest has displaced one million people, more than half of them children.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that on May 21, widespread armed violence continued to expose Haitian children to widespread sexual abuse, exploitation and recruitment by the gangs, which now control whole swathes of the French-speaking country.

The UN said that as health centres shut down and insecurity pushes families into overcrowded shelters, access to essential services remains limited, warning that without accountability, perpetrators are further emboldened.

“Concrete and immediate measures are essential to enhance the protection of Haitians, prioritising those most at risk,” said Patten, stressing the need for full deployment of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, which aims to reinforce Haitian national security forces but remains underfunded.

She called on the international community to step up financial support.

Patten also underscored the importance of UN Security Council sanctions aimed at weakening gang operations, particularly by disrupting the illicit arms trade that fuels their power and attacks.

The UN Special Representative said the recent reopening of the Court of First Instance of Port-au-Prince marks “a significant step toward restoring the rule of law.”

She noted that it follows the establishment of two specialised judicial units supported by the United Nations, one of which focuses specifically on mass crimes, including sexual violence.

“I urge the government of Haiti to accelerate the operationalisation of these units. Ending impunity is a fundamental step in breaking the cycle of violence and restoring dignity and safety to Haiti’s women and girls,” Patten added.