Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, April 16, 2026 — A recent International Rescue Committee (IRC) assessment reveals grave protection risks and rapidly shrinking access to public services for civilians in Haiti, as the country continues to face one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Conditions threaten to deteriorate further as the indefinite postponement of elections increases political instability and the UN-backed gang suppression force begins to deploy, leading to more clashes between gangs and security forces that could drive even higher levels of displacement and food insecurity.
The IRC assessment focused on areas experiencing the most severe needs–the Ouest department, where gangs control 90% of Port-Au-Prince, and the Artibonite and Centre departments, where armed attacks have begun to surge. Key findings include:
- 73% of households report feeling unsafe where they sleep, with the majority of displaced families sheltering in insecure, overcrowded conditions. Only 5.5% reported living in their homes.
- Nearly 1 in 4 households reported the presence of unaccompanied children in their community who’ve been separated from their caretakers.
- 60% of households do not have their children in school, driven by parents’ fears of kidnapping, crossfire between gangs and security forces, kidnapped, and forced recruitment, as child recruitment skyrocketed by 200% in 2025 with children making up half of all gang members.
- 75% of households are unable to afford health services, increasing deaths from treatable conditions.
- 36% of households do not treat drinking water, amplifying the risk of cholera, typhoid, and other waterborne diseases.
On worsening humanitarian and security conditions, Emergency Country Director for IRC Haiti Alice Ribes said:
“Millions of people in Haiti continue to face a compounding crisis of food insecurity, forced displacement, deadly disease outbreaks, and surging violence. Public services in many areas have collapsed under gang rule, leaving people with limited or no access to clean drinking water, food, medical care, and education.
“Even public services that remain available are largely inaccessible either due to costs–with nearly 50% of the population surviving on less than $3 a day–or serious safety concerns, especially for women and children. Most people’s primary mode of transport is walking. This makes them vulnerable to extortion, kidnapping, forced gang recruitment, and physical harm along the way. These rampant security risks have forced people into difficult decisions–parents must choose between their child’s safety or their education, the sick must choose between going to the doctor or foregoing potentially lifesaving medication, and pregnant women must choose between far-away verified water sources or nearby water that could be contaminated.”
The IRC urges the international community to urgently scale up funding to reach the 6.4 million people in humanitarian need in Haiti with lifesaving assistance and calls for the expansion of safe, legal protection pathways for Haitian refugees who have been forced to flee their home country.
The IRC has been providing humanitarian support in Haiti since 2010, working with a strong network of civil society organizations and local actors to respond to the needs of communities affected by internal displacement and longstanding gang violence. Since December 2022, IRC services have focused on expanding access to healthcare, cholera prevention for internally displaced people, child protection, cash assistance, and support for survivors of violence, including gender-based violence. The IRC reached over 430,000 clients in Haiti in 2025.
Editor’s Note:
- The emergency multi-sector needs assessment by IRC Haiti was finalized in January 2026 and conducted between December 8-22 2025, surveying 1243 households across the Ouest, Artibonite, and Centre departments.