Over 1,617 people killed in Haiti during the first three months of the year: severe consequences for women and children
.— A report by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, published on April 30, 2025, states that 35 children were killed and a dozen others injured in attacks perpetrated by criminal gangs between January and March 2025. This alarming report on the country's security situation reveals the dramatic nature of the armed violence in the country.
By La Rédaction · Port-au-Prince
· 2 min read · Updated 24 April 2026
Translated from French — AI-assisted and reviewed by the editorial team. The French version is authoritative. Read the original · About our translation policy
PORT-AU-PRINCE.— A report by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, published on April 30, 2025, states that 35 children were killed and a dozen others injured in attacks perpetrated by criminal gangs between January and March 2025. This alarming report on the country's security situation reveals the dramatic nature of armed violence in the country.
This document paints a grim picture of the depth of the crisis devastating Haiti, marked by an increasing number of victims, of heinous crimes, targeting the most vulnerable.
*Children, doubly victimized*
Even the most innocent are not spared from the gangs' fury, deplores BINUH. At least 35 children were killed during gang attacks, police operations, or popular lynchings. Ten others were seriously injured, the report mentions, also highlighting cases of child trafficking, or the widespread phenomenon of child soldiers, forcibly recruited by armed gangs. According to the report, at least 1,617 people were killed during the first three months of the year. In addition, there were 580 injured and 161 kidnappings for ransom, a large majority of which, 63%, occurred in the Artibonite department, which has become the epicenter of insecurity. This situation significantly increases the number of orphan children, most of whom are without legal guardians. These children, plunged into increased vulnerability and desperately seeking help, become easy prey for recruiting gangs, who transform them into ruthless assassins. *Women at the forefront*
For the same period, the report also notes a frightening rise in cases of sexual violence. Over 330 women survived sexual assaults, 96% of whom were raped, often in groups, by members of the Viv Ansanm criminal coalition. These barbaric acts aim to impose terror in communities and exert brutal control over local populations. Women are often used as weapons of war to pressure belligerents who attempt to defy gang rule or organize into self-defense groups. BINUH warns of a situation akin to an undeclared war against Haitians themselves. Trapped between gang terror and state failure, in a context of widespread impunity, the future of an entire generation is threatened. Civilian populations remain at the mercy of gangs, exposing themselves to the cruelty of popular reprisals and the ineffectiveness of law enforcement. While awaiting this latent support from the international community, the Haitian people live their daily tragedy in general indifference, even from their leaders.
Even the most innocent are not spared from the gangs' fury, deplores BINUH. At least 35 children were killed during gang attacks, police operations, or popular lynchings. Ten others were seriously injured, the report mentions, also highlighting cases of child trafficking, or the widespread phenomenon of child soldiers, forcibly recruited by armed gangs. According to the report, at least 1,617 people were killed during the first three months of the year. In addition, there were 580 injured and 161 kidnappings for ransom, a large majority of which, 63%, occurred in the Artibonite department, which has become the epicenter of insecurity. This situation significantly increases the number of orphan children, most of whom are without legal guardians. These children, plunged into increased vulnerability and desperately seeking help, become easy prey for recruiting gangs, who transform them into ruthless assassins. *Women at the forefront*
For the same period, the report also notes a frightening rise in cases of sexual violence. Over 330 women survived sexual assaults, 96% of whom were raped, often in groups, by members of the Viv Ansanm criminal coalition. These barbaric acts aim to impose terror in communities and exert brutal control over local populations. Women are often used as weapons of war to pressure belligerents who attempt to defy gang rule or organize into self-defense groups. BINUH warns of a situation akin to an undeclared war against Haitians themselves. Trapped between gang terror and state failure, in a context of widespread impunity, the future of an entire generation is threatened. Civilian populations remain at the mercy of gangs, exposing themselves to the cruelty of popular reprisals and the ineffectiveness of law enforcement. While awaiting this latent support from the international community, the Haitian people live their daily tragedy in general indifference, even from their leaders.
