Crime in Haiti

Haiti faces serious and changing crime risks, including homicide, injury, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping for ransom, extortion, theft, sexual violence, property destruction, child recruitment and trafficking, firearms incidents and stray bullets. Gang control and violence are especially relevant in Ouest and Port-au-Prince, Artibonite, Centre and along important roads. No area can be treated as uniformly safe because control, road access, displacement and police capacity can change quickly. BINUH recorded at least 5,915 people killed and 2,708 injured in 2025. These figures describe documented violence rather than a complete crime prevalence rate. The recorded deaths and injuries were attributed in that context to gang violence, security operations and self-defence or community action. Under-reporting is likely, especially where people cannot reach authorities or fear retaliation. BINUH also recorded at least 301 victims of gang-related sexual violence in the fourth quarter of 2025. The Police Nationale d’Haïti, known as the PNH, is responsible for public security, receiving reports and investigations under the Ministère de la Justice et de la Sécurité publique (MJSP). The Direction Centrale de la Police Judiciaire (DCPJ) is the PNH investigative branch. Its specialized areas include homicide, kidnapping, organized crime, cybercrime, criminal investigation and scientific police work. The Inspection Générale de la Police Nationale d’Haïti (IGPNH) handles allegations against police officers. The Parquet and other justice bodies can provide an additional formal pathway, but their practical functioning varies substantially by place and current security conditions. The DCPJ lists 114 as a PNH emergency number and reports availability around the clock. It also lists the numbers 38 35 11 11 and 38 36 11 11 for DCPJ contact. Independent security information reports that Haiti has no reliably functioning national emergency line in practice and that police response is severely limited in some areas, particularly outside Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien. No publicly reliable national online crime-reporting platform has been identified. For a serious offence, contact the PNH or an appropriate DCPJ unit when it is safe to do so, but do not assume that a call guarantees immediate attendance or protection. Gender-based violence, often abbreviated as GBV, includes sexual and other violence linked to gender. Survivors and people at risk can use the free *322 hotline operated with Kay Fanm and UNFPA support. It provides psychosocial and psychological support, case intake, information and referrals to medical, legal, protection, shelter and reintegration services. Basic access is reported five days per week from 08:00 to 19:00, with donor-funded expansion reported six days per week from 07:00 to 22:00. Digicel connectivity and local capacity can affect access. The referral mechanism also covers people at heightened risk, women with disabilities and frontline workers; 308 GBV survivors received support from January to May 2026. Children affected by armed groups should be treated as victims needing protection rather than automatically as offenders. In 2025, the United Nations verified 2,088 grave violations against 1,661 children, including 892 cases of recruitment or use. Under the 2024 Handover Protocol and the PREJEUNES programme launched in 2025, child-protection actors should refer children to the Institut du Bien-Être Social et de Recherches (IBESR) within three days. Available services can include protection, case management, psychosocial support, education, family tracing and reunification, and community reintegration. For everyday prevention, plan movements using current local information, avoid unnecessary night travel, crowds, roadblocks and visibly risky routes, and keep valuables out of sight. Use protected options around banks and ATMs and in public transport such as tap-taps when safer alternatives are available. Keep a trusted contact informed and agree on a communication plan. During a robbery, avoid physical resistance. Do not confront gangs or Bwa Kalé self-defence groups. Bwa Kalé is an informal community response, not state protection, and can create risks of false accusation, abuse and lynching. The DCPJ has a Cybercriminalité unit, but no separately verified national cybercrime hotline, portal or clear public intake system has been identified. Digital crime should therefore be reported through the PNH or DCPJ channels when possible, with the understanding that availability is uncertain. Preserve evidence only when doing so is safe. Haiti provides formal access to police, medical and psychosocial assistance, but movement restrictions, armed control, displacement and communication failures can prevent practical access. No general victim or witness protection guarantee, compensation schedule or official response-time standard has been established in the available evidence. The *322 service is free; no confirmed fee for calling 114 was found.