Living with rape-related trauma for a lifetime

The numerous camps for displaced persons in Port-au-Prince are home to victims of rape by armed gangs. They include elderly women, young women, and even girls. As a result of these rapes, which occurred during massacres and armed attacks, some victims became pregnant. Others contracted diseases, including HIV.

In a bustling courtyard, young people play soccer. A few steps away, women sit in front of their small shops, chatting and laughing repeatedly. In this noisy environment, the cries of newborns and young children mingle with the conversation. We are at the École nationale Argentine Bellegarde, which has been turned into a camp for displaced persons in Port-au-Prince since November 2024. Here, nearly 2,800 people driven from their homes by armed gangs have found refuge

All the classrooms in this school have been turned into bedrooms, housing more than ten families. There are no beds, only dirty sheets spread out on the floor. Displaced persons cook in every corner of some rooms. Barely usable toilets are overwhelmed by foul odors. The situation is untenable.

In one of the classrooms, we met Sandrine Pierre*, 21. Wearing a black T-shirt and her hair in two braids, she holds her one-year-old baby in her arms. A child who is the result of rape. "I remember the event as if it were yesterday. On July 13, 2023, armed bandits invaded Carrefour-Feuilles, the neighborhood where I lived. While trying to flee for my life, I came across two young men. I was beaten and raped. That's how I got pregnant," says Sandrine, her face desperate and her voice helpless.

In Carrefour-Feuilles, Sandrine was in her senior year of high school and lived with her mother. She never imagined that her life would be turned upside down. “Since then, my life has been a nightmare. Only my mother continues to support me. Even my own father humiliated me when he found out I was pregnant,” she continues, her eyes filling with tears.

Rape, a weapon of war for armed gangs

Between April and June 2025, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) recorded 610 incidents involving 628 victims of sexual violence, including 588 women and 38 girls. At least 85% of the cases involved gang rape. This was highlighted in the institution's quarterly report on the human rights situation in Haiti, published at the beginning of August. The phenomenon is also the focus of an investigation conducted by the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH) in Carrefour and Gressier, two municipalities located at the southern entrance to the capital.

“We have discovered that men systematically enter homes and search for women and girls to take them to places where naked men are waiting to rape them,” revealed Marie Rosy Auguste Ducéna, program manager at RNDDH. According to her, the situation is worrying. “This social breakdown that we are experiencing and the fact that women are not safe in Haiti are [among other things] the causes of the trivialization of rape. To top it all off, there is impunity for crimes committed against women and girls,” argues the human rights activist.

Women's and feminist organizations say they are overwhelmed by the increasing number of cases of women victims of rape that they receive at their offices. This is particularly true of Solidarite Fanm Ayisyèn (in English, Solidarity of Haitian Women). The organization receives more than a hundred women victims of rape every month. This situation is far from trivial, according to Berthanie Belony, secretary general of SOFA. "The gangs are using women's bodies. It's like a war zone, their war zone. They rape, beat, and kill them. It's a truly disturbing situation. No matter what resources an NGO or partner could make available to us, it would not enable us to really take care of all these women," she says.

Many of the victims have tested positive for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. "We have identified several cases of HIV among rape victims. The prevalence rate, which is said to be declining in Haiti, would require research to find out where we stand today,“ adds Berthanie with a sigh. ”Women can't take it anymore."

What measures need to be taken?

After becoming pregnant as a result of rape, Sandrine immediately thought about having an abortion and committing suicide. She did not want to live with the burden of this act. “In our society, being in such a position is a heavy burden. On the other hand, I didn't want to have a child without a father, and born of rape. I dread the day when my child will ask me where his father is, and I will have to tell him what happened. Maybe he will hate me,” she says, her voice full of worry.

Loss of self-esteem, sexual dysfunction, and impaired relationships with others are among the heavy burdens that rape victims can carry. This is what psychologist Pascal Nery Jean Charles told us. According to him, in addition to adopting certain risky behaviors, such as drinking alcohol to try to forget what happened, wanting to terminate a pregnancy resulting from rape is a way for victims to cope with the psychological impact.

"When a woman is raped, it has a major psychological impact, including emotional consequences. And rape is a trauma that can lead to post-traumatic stress. This means that after the event, the victim may relive the scene through certain triggers, such as music, a smell, a face, or a word. And the child, the result of this trauma, may be seen by the mother as a constant reminder of what happened, of the painful and traumatic moments she experienced," he explains. 

According to the psychologist, after receiving physical healthcare, it is very important for the victim to meet with a psychological counselor or social worker who can talk to her. "This specialist will try to understand what she is going through. And with her consent, he or she will be able to support her according to the needs of her case. Treatment may vary from person to person, depending on the impact that the rape has had on them. All of this must be done with respect for the victim," concludes Mr. Jean Charles.

Anne-Aise Vilmé

*Pseudonym used to protect the identity of the survivor of sexual violence.