Haitian Rape Survivor Defies Gang Threats to Raise Her Child

Mon Oct 20 2025 07:21:44 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Helene, a young mother from Port-au-Prince, bravely raises her daughter after surviving a horrific gang attack and rejecting calls for abortion.

Amid escalating gang violence in Haiti, 19-year-old Helene, a rape survivor, recounts her traumatic experience of abduction and abuse while choosing to keep her child. Living in a safe house along with other survivors, Helene faces a daunting future in a country where sexual violence and displacement are rampant due to gang rule.

In Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, gang violence has risen sharply, creating a terrifying atmosphere for residents, particularly women. One such individual, Helene, now 19, recounts the harrowing experience that changed her life when she was just 17. Armed men abducted her from her neighborhood, holding her captive for over two months where she was repeatedly raped and beaten. "They didn't care who they were hurting, I was just another victim," she recalls, her child sleeping in her lap, oblivious to the mother’s traumatic past.

Despite her captors pressuring her to abort her unborn child, Helene's resilience prevailed; she wanted to give life to her baby, believing in hope against despair. After a narrow escape amid gang conflicts, she found refuge in a safe house that houses about 30 girls and women, all similarly affected by the surging wave of sexual violence in Haiti.

The situation in Port-au-Prince is dire, with armed gangs estimated to control about 90% of the area since the political assassination of former president Jovenel Moïse in 2021. The situation has led to a tripling of sexual violence cases reported to medical organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), with survivors detailing brutal gang-related assaults involving multiple attackers using weapons to instill fear.

Helene and her fellow survivors live in a stark reality where sexual violence has become a devastating tool for gangs, used to terrorize neighborhoods and maintain control. Stories of fellow women, including a 12-year-old victim of rape, paint a grim picture of insecurity prevailing even in the supposed sanctity of their community settings.

As the gang violence proliferates with no elected leadership to restore order, humanitarian agencies warn of increasing displacement and hunger. Women, as revealed by experts, bear the brunt of this crisis, often suffering dual trauma from violence and disruption to their lives.

With limited access to critical resources, Helene feels the weight of uncertainty for her child’s future: “I always dreamed of going to school, to learn and to make something of myself,” she expresses, contemplating the challenges ahead. Yet, amidst the grim reality, her story serves as a beacon of resilience, highlighting the urgent need for international attention and support for victims of violence in Haiti.