Türk: We Need All Eyes On Haiti

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.

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