Prostitution in Haiti

Several hundred Sri Lankan troops, part of the UN mission, were expelled from the country in 2007. They were involved in trafficking Haitian girls to Sri Lanka and also being involved in child prostitution locally.

It was reported in 2010 that trafficked Dominican women had been found in brothels allegedly frequented by UN personnel.

In 2015 the UN reported that between 2008 and 2014, members of its peacekeeping mission had sexually abused more than 225 Haitian women in exchange for food, medication, and other items.

The UN has a zero-tolerance policy towards its personnel visiting the local sex trade, but this is virtually unenforceable.

As in other countries with a strong UN (or, for the case, other international organizations) presence, the combination of factors (local population in conditions of extreme poverty and the presence of foreign, well paid personnel, most of them away from their families) favor prostitution.

In February 2018 an investigation by The Times newspaper found that Oxfam allowed three men to resign and sacked four for gross misconduct after an inquiry concerning sexual exploitation, the downloading of pornography, bullying and intimidation. A confidential report produced by Oxfam in 2011 found that there had been “a culture of impunity” among some staff in Haiti and concluded that 'it cannot be ruled out that any of the prostitutes were under-aged'. Among the staff who were permitted to resign was the charity's Belgian country director, Roland Van Hauwermeiren. According to the internal report, Van Hauwermeiren admitted using prostitutes at a villa whose rent was paid for by Oxfam with charitable funds. Oxfam's chief executive at the time, Dame Barbara Stocking, offered Hauwermeiren “a phased and dignified exit” because of concern that sacking him risked “potentially serious implications” for the charity's work and reputation.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/top-oxfam-staff-paid-haiti-quake-survivors-for-sex-mhm6mpmgw|title=Minister orders Oxfam to hand over files on Haiti prostitute scandal|last=Chief Reporter|first=Sean O’Neill|date=9 February 2018|work=The Times|access-date=9 February 2018|language=en|issn=0140-0460}}

Oxfam did not report any of the incidents to the Haitian authorities, on the grounds that “it was extremely unlikely that any action would be taken”. Although Oxfam disclosed details of the incident to the Charity Commission, following the investigation by The Times the Commission revealed that it had never received the final investigation report and Oxfam “did not detail the precise allegations, nor did it make any indication of potential sexual crimes involving minors”. In light of the information revealed by The Times, a spokesperson for the Commission commented that: "We will expect the charity to provide us with assurance that it has learnt lessons from past incidents".{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-43004360|title=Oxfam denies 'Haiti prostitute' cover-up|date=9 February 2018|work=BBC News|access-date=9 February 2018|language=en-GB}}

In response to the revelations, Liz Truss, the chief secretary to the Treasury, described the reports as “shocking, sickening and depressing”. Following the publication of the Times' report, Oxfam issued a statement in which it asserted "Oxfam treats any allegation of misconduct extremely seriously. As soon as we became aware of a range of allegations — including of sexual misconduct — in Haiti in 2011 we launched an internal investigation. The investigation was announced publicly and staff members were suspended pending the outcome.” The statement also added that the allegations “that under-age girls may have been involved were not proven”. Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, the international development secretary, Penny Mordaunt, said Oxfam had failed in its "moral leadership" over the "scandal". Mordaunt also said that Oxfam did "absolutely the wrong thing" by not reporting the detail of the allegations to the government.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43020875|title=Oxfam 'failed in moral leadership'|date=11 February 2018|work=BBC News|access-date=11 February 2018|language=en-GB}}

Haiti has the highest cases of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean region estimated to be at about a 1.8 percent prevalence as of 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.avert.org/caribbean-hiv-aids-statistics.htm |title=Caribbean HIV & AIDS Statistics|date=21 July 2015}} An analysis of the causes of death, which started when hospital death certificates began to be collected in 1997, shows that AIDS was the leading cause of death in the country, but as of 2010, this has been reduced to only a 1 percent cause of death, as disaster-related issues has been the leading cause at 66 percent.{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/countries/haiti/pdf/haiti.pdf |title=CDC in Haiti |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |year=2013 |accessdate=4 November 2014}}

{{see also|Human trafficking in Haiti}}

According to the US Department of State, Haiti is a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking.{{cite web| url = https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2017/271200.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170703181258/https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2017/271200.htm| url-status=dead| archive-date = 3 July 2017|title=Trafficking in Persons Report 2017|publisher=US Department of State|accessdate=12 December 2017|date=2017}}{{PD-notice}} Women and children, particularly from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic are trafficked into the country for Forced prostitution.

Penalties for those convicted of human trafficking are jail sentences from 7 to 15 years plus hefty fines. If there are aggravating factors, such as trafficking minors, the sentence may be interlaced to life imprisonment. Similar sentences may be imposed on those obtaining, or attempting to obtain, sexual services from a victim of trafficking.{{cite web|title=Haiti 2016 Human Rights Report|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/265806.pdf|publisher=United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor|accessdate=12 December 2017|date=2016}}

The United States Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons ranks Haiti as a 'Tier 2 Watch List' country.{{cite web |title=Haiti 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report |url=https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2018/282667.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729012946/https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2018/282667.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 July 2018 |website=U.S. Department of State |accessdate=26 July 2018}}

• Prostitution in the Dominican Republic

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