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GANG CONTROL
AND SECURITY
VACUUMS
ASSESSING GENDER-BASED
VIOLENCE IN CITÉ SOLEIL, HAITI
MAY 2023
© 2023 Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means without permission in writing from
the Global Initiative.
Cover: People displaced by gang violence in Cité Soleil seek refuge in
other neighbourhoods, Port-au-Prince, November 2022. © Ralph Tedy Erol/
Reuters via Alamy Stock Photo
Please direct inquiries to:
The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Avenue de France 23
Geneva, CH-1202
Switzerland
www.globalinitiative.net
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This report is based on research conducted by a social support organization
that wishes to remain anonymous for security reasons. The data analysis was by
Summer Walker of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime,
with input and support from the organization. Thank you to Lyes Tagziria for
reviewing the data analysis. Research was supported by UN Women and the UN
Peacebuilding Fund, and this publication was made possible with generous core
support from the governments of Denmark and Norway.
CONTENTS
Summary���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������3
Methodology���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������4
Background����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������5
Gender-based violence: Findings�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������6
Perpetrators�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������8
Location���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������10
Gender-based and sexual violence in 2022������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������12
Potential mitigating factors��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������13
Education �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������13
Employment �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������14
Support services����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������15
Judicial support �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������15
Health support ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������16
Psycho-social support �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������16
Community leader recommendations��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������18
Conclusion���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������19
Notes����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������24
2
3
SUMMARY
T
his brief summarizes research conducted in December 2022 on gender-based violence (GBV)
in Cité Soleil, an impoverished, high-density commune of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. GBV – and
sexual violence, in particular – has escalated dramatically in Port-au-Prince in recent years, as
gangs have multiplied and taken greater control over communities, local economies and many aspects
of daily life. Clashes between armed gangs, including attempts to take over territory, have severely
affected security, particularly for women and girls.
A report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN
Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), published in October 2022, documented how gangs have used
rape and other forms of sexual violence in their quest for power and to instill fear in communities.
1
Meanwhile a breakdown in public safety across Port-au-Prince is a risk factor associated with increas-
ing levels of GBV and reduces the ability to respond in an effective way.
This brief focuses on research collected in and around Cité Soleil (in the areas of Brooklyn, Sarthe
and Village des Rapatriés), using a questionnaire, focus groups and a round table discussion. The
study assesses five aspects of vulnerability: safety, legal protection, mental well-being, economic
empowerment and education. This research was undertaken under very difficult conditions, and
with a high degree of sensitivity to the subject matter and involvement of participants. While the
methodology is further explained below, some of the key findings include:
■Gender-based violence: The research found that 80 per cent of the women and girls who
participated in the study had been victims of one or more forms of GBV by one or multiple
perpetrators. While the research sample is not extensive, this is an alarming rate of GBV
experienced by women and girls in the community – far higher than the global average of
one-third estimated by UN Women.
2
Forty-three per cent of GBV victims reported experiencing
one or more forms of sexual violence, including from partners and family members, strangers,
gang members and kidnappers. This research found that current or former partners were the
most cited perpetrator (44 per cent). Alarmingly, the second highest group was strangers
(including gangs, bandits and kidnappers) with 33 per cent of respondents reporting one or more
assailant in this category. This contrasts with 17 per cent reporting a family member and 16 per
cent reporting a friend or friend of the family.
■The areas with lower levels of gang conflict registered fewer cases of GBV. The results of the
research show a concentration of GBV – in particular, sexual violence – in the Brooklyn area,
which has seen intense fighting between the G-Pèp and G-9 gang coalitions during 2022.
4
While Brooklyn residents represent 39 per cent of the total sample, 48 per cent of those who
had experienced GBV were residents of Brooklyn; 54 per cent of the instances of sexual
violence happened to residents of Brooklyn; and 69 out of the 89 cases of reported rape
occurred in Brooklyn. Nearly 62 per cent of women and girls in Brooklyn who had experienced
GBV responded that it had happened in 2022.
■Services for victims of GBV: The research identified a lack of adequate services and responses,
including judicial remedies, health responses and psycho-social support, for victims.
This brief not only offers insight into the current state of GBV in Cité Soleil but also identifies potential
areas of support for donors and organizations interested in improving the situation. It offers three
overarching recommendations, as outlined in the conclusion: building the capacity of institutions that
women trust, identifying the ways women organize locally and developing cross-sector cooperation.
Methodology
This research was conducted by a caregiver organization that provides services, including psycho-social
support, to women and girls in Port-au-Prince’s most vulnerable communities. The data was collected
using a questionnaire and through a focus group, with 591 women and girls from the commune of Cité
Soleil and its outskirts participating. The questionnaire was written in French, but the questions were
asked in Creole to facilitate understanding. Participant involvement in the research was voluntary and
answering questions was not mandatory, while others were open-ended.
The research was carried out in collaboration with community actors and as part of offering psycho-
social support to communities in Cité Soleil, including identifying people in need of assistance. For
instance, in 20 of the most serious cases identified, victims are now receiving long-term trauma coun-
selling and psycho-social care from the organization, with financial support from UN Women and the
UN Peacebuilding Fund.
The organization also held a round table with community leaders in the social, education, economic
and health sectors to discuss what can be done to better address the safety threat faced by women
and girls in vulnerable communities in Haiti, such as Cité Soleil. A summary of the recommendations
is given in the conclusion to this report.
© Andre Quillien/Alamy Stock Photo
5
BACKGROUND
C
ité Soleil is one of Port-au-Prince’s largest impoverished settlements, having developed over
decades as a result of urbanization and displacement. Despite still lacking basic services, such
as amenities and infrastructure, the commune has grown significantly and is now home to
almost 300 000 people.
3
Over the past several years, as gang numbers have swelled and the quest for
territorial control has escalated, violence across Port-au-Prince has risen at an alarming rate. Cité Soleil
is frequently the scene of clashes between two warring gang coalitions: G-9 an Fanmi e Alye (G-9 and
family) and G-Pèp. G-9 is a federation of gangs led by Jimmy Chérizier (alias Barbecue), while G-Pèp
is led by Gabriel Jean-Baptiste (also known as Ti Gabriel or Gabo), head of the Nan Brooklyn gang.
4
The women and girls who participated in the research were residents of neighbourhoods either totally
controlled by gangs or with little police presence. However, it should be noted that there is little police
presence across Cité Soleil in general, with many of the commune’s substations and police stations
burnt down in 2022 during acts of gang violence.
According to BINUH and the OHCHR, the conflicts between G-9 and G-Pèp are ‘motivated by the
interest of political actors in controlling territories’, with G-9 attempting to take control of neighbour-
hoods under the influence of G-Pèp.
5
The violence is intense: in the Brooklyn neighbourhood alone,
the UN reports that 263 people were killed, 285 injured and four reported missing between July
and December 2022.
6
In this context of gang-driven conflict, sexual violence has risen as a weapon
used by gangs, but also as a consequence of the deteriorating security situation in communities. The
availability of support services for female victims of violence is limited throughout Port-au-Prince,
and victims are reluctant to seek help (where it is accessible), due to social stigma and fear,
7
making
responding to the growing problem a critical issue in its own right.
6
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE:
FINDINGS
W
hereas all Haitian citizens feel the heavy impact of organized crime on a daily basis,
women and girls are disproportionately targeted for sexual violence (including rape)
by members of armed gangs, and are at increased risk for all forms of GBV, largely
due to rising levels of general insecurity in the country. Survivors often lack the support they need
to cope with the trauma and the gender-specific medical needs resulting from sexual violence or
physical abuse. The violence that women and girls face and its effects are multifaceted. Key findings
are shown in the charts and tables in this section.
All of the women and girls who participated in this study lived in neighbourhoods in, or on the outskirts
of, Cité Soleil. Out of the total, 84.3 per cent of the sample population were adults (19 or older) and
15.7 per cent were minors (10–18 years of age). Sixty-one per cent of respondents were either single,
widowed or divorced, while 39 per cent reported being married or in a domestic partnership.
FIGURE 1 Marital status of participants.
Single
Married
Free union (domestic partnership)
Widow
Divorced
50%
27%
12%
10%
1%
7
The research found an extremely high rate of GBV in the community. Eighty per cent of the women
and girls who participated in this research had been victims of one or multiple forms of gender-based
violence by one or more perpetrators. Forty-three per cent of those who had experienced GBV had
been victims of sexual violence (of one or multiple types). While the research sample is not extensive,
it is an alarming rate of GBV experienced by women and girls in the community. This is far higher than
the global average of one-third estimated by UN Women.
8
The most common perpetrator reported was a partner or former partner, at 44 per cent. The second
most frequent perpetrator was a stranger (including bandits, gang members and kidnappers) at 33 per
cent, followed by a family member and then a friend. There were several instances of GBV carried
out by religious leaders, community leaders or teachers (people in positions of power). There were no
reported instances of GBV by a state authority, which is a positive sign, though many of these areas
lack state presence, so drawing a conclusion from this is difficult.
FIGURE 2 Victims of gender-based and sexual violence.
FIGURE 3 Victims of gender-based violence, by age group.
Victims of one or more
forms of gender-based
violence
Victims of sexual violence among
those experiencing gender-based
violence
80% 43%
10–18 years
19–27 years
28–40 years
40+ years
32%
23%
31%
14%
8
Instances of gender-based violence: non-sexual violence
Physical abuse
Verbal
abuse
Psychological
abuse
Emotional
abuse
Economic
violence
Harassment
298 251 116 76 96 50
Instances of gender-based violence: sexual violence
Trafficking in persons Rape
Sexual
harassment
Sexual violence
(not specified)
Incest
Forced
marriage
19 89 51 79 2 2
FIGURE 4 Breakdown of forms of gender-based violence.
NOTE: Many respondents were victims on multiple occasions with different perpetrators, so the figures do not
make up 100 per cent. Some 475 respondents reported experiencing gender-based violence, but two declined
to explain further, so the results are totalled out of 473 respondents.
GBV saw a sharp increase between 2015 and 2022, with the most reported instances of GBV
occurring in 2022.
FIGURE 5 Victims of gender-based violence by year, 2014–2022.
Perpetrators
This research found that current or former partners were the most cited perpetrator, with 44 per
cent of respondents reporting this. Alarmingly, the second highest group was strangers (including
gangs, bandits and kidnappers) with 33 per cent of respondents reporting one or more assailant in
this category. This contrasts with 17 per cent reporting a family member and 16 per cent reporting
a friend or friend of the family.
Many respondents had multiple perpetrators, either from one experience or due to multiple ex-
periences of GBV. Due to the sensitivities of the research and care taken for the people involved,
respondents were asked questions in a manner that did not specifically link acts of GBV to specific
perpetrators, and provided opportunities to not respond if they wished.
0.9%
1.5%
1.7%
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
Other/I don’t recall
48%
21.3%
10.2%
5.5%
6%
4%
0.9%
9
Gender-based violence by partner
Approximately 44 per cent of those who reported experiencing GBV responded that the violence
had been perpetrated by their partner or former partner. Within this group of respondents, the most
prevalent form of GBV reported was physical violence, followed by verbal abuse and then economic
violence, which includes behaviours such as withholding money from a partner or refusing to let them
work. Just under 30 per cent of the respondents who exclusively experienced GBV from a partner
9
reported a form of sexual violence inflicted by that partner.
Gender-based violence by stranger
In trying to assess violence committed by unknown assailants (as opposed to known assailants who
were family or friends), the data was grouped to include multiple listed perpetrators for analysis –
namely, strangers, gang members, bandits and kidnappers. Approximately 33 per cent of those who
experienced a form of GBV reported an aggressor who was one of these types of perpetrators. This
was the second highest group of perpetrators; known assailants, such as a friend or friend of family,
were reported as constituting 16 per cent and a member of the family, 17 per cent.
Within this group, 65 per cent reported that they had experienced sexual violence, with 39 per cent
having experienced rape and 5 per cent reporting human trafficking. In some cases, multiple potential
perpetrators were identified, including partners. Women and girls were not asked to assign each act
of violence to a specific perpetrator when multiple instances of violence had been experienced, so
some information cannot be ascertained.
Fifty per cent of reported acts of GBV carried out by this group of perpetrators occurred in 2022,
including 33 reports of rape and six reports of human trafficking. It is likely that this high percentage
correlates with elevated levels of gang violence in the neighbourhoods of Cité Soleil in that year, and
the use of sexual violence and rape by gangs as an act of collective violence against communities.
FIGURE 6 Respondents reporting violence, by perpetrator type.
NOTE: Many respondents listed multiple perpetrators. This is not a count of total perpetrators, but percentage
of respondents reporting gender-based violence carried out by each group. This does not add up to 100 per
cent due to multiple perpetrators listed by respondents. ‘Stranger’ also includes gang member, kidnapper,
bandit and armed group. ‘Authority figure’ includes boss, religious leader, local leader and professor.
Partner/former partner
Stranger
Family member
Friend/friend of family
Neighbour
Authority figure
20% 40%10% 30% 50%5% 25% 45%15% 35%
44%
33%
17%
16%
4%
1%
10
Location
The women and girls interviewed came from a number of residential zones within Cité Soleil, broken
down into three main areas: Brooklyn, Sarthe and Village des Rapatriés.
The G-Pèp coalition includes the areas of Brooklyn, Norway, Gaderie, Soleil 4, Soleil 17, Nan Boule,
Bois Neuf, Projet Linthaud I, Projet Linthaud II, Warf, Projet Drouillard and Ti Haïti.
Within Cité Soleil, G-9, with local coalition gang leaders Iscar and Mathias, covers Pierre 6 (Village des
Rapatriés), Boston, Cité Lumière, Première Cité, Deuxième Cité, Bélékou, Warf Jérémie, Terre-Noire,
Sarthe, Fontaine, Duvivier and Fort Dimanche.
10
FIGURE 7 Participants’ home location and proportion who have experienced sexual violence.
39%
36%
25%
54%
25%
21%
WHERE DO YOU LIVE? VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE
Brooklyn Sarthe Village des Rapatriés
There is little to no police presence in all three areas, but some areas have experienced less gang
fighting. G-Pèp retains most territorial control of Brooklyn, which is home to its leader Ti Gabriel.
G-9 gangs are dominant in Sarthe and Village des Rapatriés. Fighting between gangs has occurred
in different areas of Cité Soleil, but in 2022, for instance, intense fighting was concentrated in the
Brooklyn area, as has been documented in the report by BINUH and OHCHR. Sarthe, while under
the overall control of G-9, is parcelled among many lesser-known leaders who report directly to Iscar.
While conflicts among G-9 and G-Pèp are less intense in the Sarthe area, member of the Sarthe gangs
play an important role in supporting G-9 when engaged in conflict with G-Pèp. They can be mobilized
quickly and go to ongoing conflict areas.
Village des Rapatriés is near the community hospital of Fontaine, and has some private clinics and
schools. For the past three years, the neighborhood has been living under the influence of the G-9
gang coalition. In Village des Rapatriés, Pierre 6 is a community that borders Brooklyn although
separated by an area of vegetation. Confrontations between G-Pèp and G-9 often take place at Pierre
6, which is where the population of that area is most affected by the conflicts between Brooklyn-based
gangs and Village des Rapatriés-based gangs.
11
One key finding of the research is that areas with less gang conflict registered fewer cases of GBV
overall. The results of the research show a concentration of GBV – in particular, sexual violence – in
the Brooklyn area. While Brooklyn residents represent 39 per cent of the total respondents, 48 per
cent of those who had experienced GBV were residents of Brooklyn, and 54 per cent of the instances
of sexual violence reported happened to residents of Brooklyn (though the questionnaire did not
ask where the specific offence took place). Sixty-nine out of the 89 cases of reported rape occurred
in Brooklyn. Only one resident of Brooklyn reported not being a victim of GBV at all, whereas 45
respondents in Sarthe and 70 in Village des Rapatriés reported this. Vaudreuil–Truttier
Fontaine
Terre-Noire