UN report warns of worsening human rights crisis in Haiti amid escalating gang violence News
U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist James G. Pinsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
UN report warns of worsening human rights crisis in Haiti amid escalating gang violence

A report released by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) on Tuesday noted a significant deterioration in Haiti’s human rights situation since January, emphasizing the alarming impact of escalating gang violence on the civilian population.

The report detailed widespread killings, abductions and sexual violence in the country. The BINUH emphasized the particular vulnerability of women and girls, and noted that children are increasingly being recruited into gangs, with a 70 percent rise in the recruitment of children in the past year. The report further stated that 1,617 people were killed in the first three months of 2025 and 580 were injured in violence involving gangs, representing a 20 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024.

The BINUH said a large number of people have been forced into makeshift shelters with limited access to basic necessities. The report further showed that at least 161 kidnappings for ransom were recorded, with 63 percent of the kidnappings occurring in the Artibonite department in central Haiti. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) additionally noted a rise in deportations from the Dominican Republic, with around 20,000 Haitians being returned in April, the highest monthly total for this year.

This comes just weeks after Human Rights Watch warned that the violence in Haiti is escalating and putting civilians at “grave risk.” In February, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) also warned that the alarming human rights situation in Haiti requires immediate international assistance to save the population from a serious human rights crisis.

Haiti has faced an escalating human rights crisis over the past few years, with rampant gang violence seizing control in the capital of Port-au-Prince and threatening civilian safety. The population has experienced internal displacement, food scarcity, and the destruction of healthcare facilities. International rights groups have criticized the country’s transitional government, which was established in 2024, for failing to protect Haitian citizens from the violence.

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