Haiti saw 1,247 people killed and 710 injured between July and September, according to a United Nations report, as gang violence and security operations continue to devastate communities.
In its quarterly report on the Caribbean island nation published on Tuesday, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) also warned of rising child exploitation and rampant sexual violence.
Gang violence has dominated the capital Port-au-Prince since 2021 and the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. The city is now 85 per cent controlled by gangs according to the UN.
Over 1.3 million Haitians have been displaced because of this violence, representing the largest displacement due to political upheaval in Haitian history.
Majority of deaths result of government’s security operations
BINUH’s Human Rights Service identified a wide range of actors responsible for the violence in its report, including armed gangs, self-defence groups, unorganised civilians and Haitian security agencies conducting ground operations and air strikes.
While 30 percent of the killings were attributed to gang-related violence, the report indicated that the majority of deaths - 61 percent - resulted from operations by Haitian security forces.
The deaths occurred during ground operations, drone strikes and through the excessive use of force, including summary executions.
An additional 9 percent of the killings were linked to self-defence groups and lynch mobs.
Men accounted for 83 percent of all victims, while women and children comprised 14 percent and 3 percent respectively - figures consistent with trends observed in previous UN reports.
Child exploitation
The report highlighted the trafficking and exploitation of children by gangs as one of Haiti’s gravest human rights concerns.
According to official data, at least 302 children were recruited by gangs in 2024, though the UN notes that the real number is likely much higher.
Testimonies collected by BINUH’s Human Rights Service from authorities, local service providers and international humanitarian agencies confirm a sharp rise in child recruitment.
However, the UN warns that underreporting remains a major obstacle, due to fear of reprisals, social stigma and widespread distrust of police and judicial institutions. As a result, only a fraction of the victims come forward.
The report also documented rampant sexual violence in areas under gang control, particularly in the form of gang rapes committed during home invasions or street assaults.
In one example from September, a 17-year-old girl in Simon Pele, a densely populated neighbourhood within the larger, impoverished area of Cite Soleil near the capital Port-au-Prince, was raped at gunpoint by four gang members who broke into her home.
In the Artibonite department in central Haiti, BINUH documented cases of child sexual exploitation involving the Kokorat San Ras gang, affecting at least 27 minors aged 13 to 17.
