2nd October, 2026
UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk
63rd session
of the Human Rights Council
Oral update on the human
rights situation in Haiti
Muchas gracias, señor
vicepresidente.
My heart goes out to the people of
Haiti – often trapped between gang violence and
heavy-handed responses.
Despite some success in
containing their activity in parts of the capital,
Port-au-Prince, gangs continue to adapt and expand,
re-emerging in new areas and constantly
rearming.
Recent attacks in Kenscoff and Gressier, and
the growing gang presence in the Sud-Est department, point
to a strategy of seizing new territory and key transport
routes, threatening stability across and beyond Haiti –
and leaving destruction in its wake.
The first
operations by the Gang Suppression Force, mandated by the UN
Security Council, marked a long-awaited step towards greater
security. But the Force remains far below the strength
needed. This week’s renewal of its mandate needs to be
followed by full, accelerated deployment – with firm human
rights safeguards embedded.
During the reporting
period, from 1 January to 11 September this year, my Office
documented at least 5,700 people killed or injured by gangs
or during operations against them. Gangs have also kidnapped
more than 230 people and raped over 1,000 women and girls.
And the real figures are likely much
higher.
Law-enforcement operations continue to raise
serious concerns about the unnecessary and disproportionate
use of force.
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Since the beginning of the year, more
than half of all casualties occurred in the context of
security operations, with hundreds of people struck by stray
bullets and explosive drones.
The number of summary
executions carried out by specialized police units has
fallen significantly – by almost half compared with 2025.
However, people allegedly associated with gangs continue to
be summarily executed.
In some areas, so-called
self-defence groups killed or injured some 280 people so far
this year.
Mr. Vice-President,
Relentless
violence has crowded out attention and resources for the
protection of basic rights.
Extortion, looting, and
destruction of property are crippling economic activity.
Constant danger prevents people from reaching schools,
hospitals, and essential services.
More than half of
Haitians face acute food insecurity, and forty percent lack
access to basic healthcare. Close to 1.5 million people are
forcibly displaced, with many more living with their bags
permanently packed.
Some 30 to 50 percent of gang
members are children. Last year, the recruitment and use of
children by gangs nearly tripled.
For many children in
Haiti, joining a gang can be the only way to survive. But no
child should be forced to choose between their own life and
the safety of their neighbours.
Children are
exploited, trafficked, and abused – while mechanisms to
prevent this and reintegrate them into society remain
woefully inadequate.
Prisons are packed to bursting,
with inhuman, degrading conditions. Across Haiti, prisons
are, on average, operating at more than three times their
official capacity. At least 125 people died in detention
this year alone.
Free and fair elections are the only
legitimate way to restore constitutional order. However,
given all I have just described, it is difficult to conceive
that the conditions for credible elections later this year
are in place. Those responsible for serious human rights
violations and abuses must not be allowed to enter the
race.
Mr. Vice-President,
This chaos has deep,
intertwined roots, fed by greed and impunity – both within
Haiti and beyond. The only way to cut those roots is through
a comprehensive approach that looks beyond
security.
First, on sanctions.
A handful of
powerful individuals are exploiting and perpetuating
people’s grievances and the weakness of State institutions
to pursue their own interests.
These forces are
strategic and well resourced.
Many gang leaders are
subject to international sanctions. Those sanctions also
need to cover all those pulling the strings behind criminal
networks and benefiting from them.
And they need to be
matched by accountability on the ground to strengthen their
practical impact.
Second, on the arms
embargo.
To save lives and restore order, the
continuous illicit flow of weapons and ammunition into Haiti
must end.
It is essential that the arms embargo
imposed by the Security Council be fully respected and
effectively implemented. States need to act urgently and
decisively to crack down on arms trafficking and choke off
these flows at their source.
Third, on the
diaspora.
Nearly five billion US dollars in
remittances flowed into Haiti last year – around one sixth
of its GDP. These transfers are a lifeline for the
country’s economy and its people.
Yet we are seeing
a crackdown on Haitians who have fled abroad.
In 2026,
more than 220,000 people, including nearly 20,000 children,
have been forcibly returned to Haiti from several countries
in the region.
Many of these people fled for their
lives or those of their families. Sending them back puts
those lives at risk once again, in violation of the
principle of non-refoulement.
Fourth, on
protection.
I urge all States to support the rapid,
full deployment of the Gang Suppression Force, with the
equipment it needs and in full compliance with human
rights.
The Government needs to ensure that all
security operations – by State or private actors – are
firmly grounded in international human rights law.
My
Office has provided human rights training to members of
specialized police units and the Gang Suppression Force, and
we are ready to do more.
The authorities also need to
prioritize strengthening the rule of law and the justice
system – to end impunity and to decongest
prisons.
Ensuring humane conditions of detention is
paramount – particularly as the Gang Suppression Force
scales up its operations.
Fifth, on
accountability.
Two specialized judicial units,
supported by my Office and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime,
are intended to help investigate mass atrocities, sexual
violence, and complex financial crimes. I urge the
authorities to make them fully operational, and all States
– to extend their support.
There is also a need for
broader efforts to fight corruption, poverty, and
inequality. This is key to lasting stability and essential
to prevent gangs from preying on children.
There is
much work to be done, and across all these areas, the
Haitian Government needs real, sustained international
support.
Mr. Vice-President,
Those who profit
from the current state of disorder are determined to see
Haiti fail. They seek to fray its social fabric and destroy
the prospects of a stronger State.
We cannot allow
that to happen.
We need all eyes on Haiti.
And
we must never lose sight of the fact that, across the
country, communities and individuals are showing
extraordinary courage, resilience, and dignity – every
day. Every morning, children leave homes without running
water, dressed in immaculate, carefully ironed uniforms, and
set out for school.
We must help bring closer the day
when hope – not fear – walks with them on the
road.
Thank you very
much.
