Haiti: The situation and treatment of single women and women who head their own household; ability to access housing, employment, education, health, and support services, particularly in Cap-Haïtien (Nord) and Jérémie (Grand'Anse); state protection (2023–December 2025)
1. Situation of Single Women and Women Who Head Their Own Household
The UN International Organization on Migration (IOM) reports that Haiti is experiencing "one of the most severe displacement crises in its history" due to gang violence, with 1 million people displaced, 55% of them women and girls (UN 2025). It adds that women-headed households are "particularly at risk" due to factors such as "[o]vercrowding, lack of security, and weakened community protection mechanisms" (UN 2025). Bertelsmann Stiftung's Transformation Index (BTI) 2024 [1] reports that gender is a "significant risk factor for living below the poverty line" in Haiti (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 24). According to a report by the Secretary-General of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (Bureau intégré des Nations Unies en Haïti, BINUH) to the UN Security Council, for the period of March to June 2025, half of women-headed households across the country were experiencing acute food insecurity and "have had to go into debt to survive" (UN 2025-04-14, para. 58).
BTI 2024 reports that 62% of women-headed households in rural areas live in poverty, compared to 54% for men (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 24). It adds that gender-based violence (GBV) is a "significant contributing factor to gender inequality" (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 24). For information on sexual violence and GBV in Haiti, see Response to Information Request HTI201783 of February 2024.
A consultant at the Haitian Women's Collective (HWC) [2], who has worked in humanitarian and development programs across urban and rural areas of Haiti, stated in correspondence with the Research Directorate that single women and women who head their own households experience "significant socioeconomic vulnerability and social stigma" across Haiti (Consultant 2025-12-08). The Consultant added that despite being responsible for domestic labour and revenue-generating activities outside the home, women heads of household account "disproportionately" for Haiti's poorest households (2025-12-08). Similarly, CARE's [3] Country Director in Haiti stated that as heads of households, women are forced to "'manage the family daily survival alone'," despite facing "'greater obstacles to access food and livelihoods'" (CARE 2025-04-14).
2. Treatment of Single Women and Women Who Head Their Own Household
The Consultant at HWC indicated that although "many communities" respect and depend on women who head households for their caregiving and income-generating work, "harmful" gender norms and prejudices that stigmatize such women persist in Haiti (2025-12-08). The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) [4] reports that the "historic rates of GBV" in Haiti stem from "its history, cultural norms, and social structures" (2024-09-19, 1). It adds that such cultural norms and social structures drive "cycles of violence and discrimination against women and girls" (CSIS 2024-09-19, 1). According to the Consultant, such social norms affect the community's acceptance of these women and "can" impede their access to "certain community resources" (2025-12-08).
3. Access to Services, Particularly in Cap-Haïtien and Jérémie
Information on single women and women-headed households' access to services, in Cap-Haitien and Jérémie in particular, was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
According to BTI 2024, the Haitian state "does not allocate sufficient resources for drinking water, health, education and electricity" (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 7). It adds that local authorities have "few resources" to provide for basic needs and services (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 7). CSIS reports that the state in Haiti is "nearly nonexistent" and that Haitians cannot access "basic human necessities" such as food and shelter (2024-09-19, 1, 2).
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicates that Haiti is among the world's "top five hunger hotspots" (UN 2025-08-31). The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) [5] estimates in its March−June 2025 analysis of food insecurity in Haiti, published in April 2025, that 51% of the population (over 5.7 million people) was living with [translation] "high levels of acute food insecurity" ("high levels" corresponds to the phases 3 to 5, out of 5 phases; number 3 is also called "Crisis") (2025-04-14, 2). The source notes that this is a [translation] "historically unprecedented level" of food insecurity in the country (IPC 2025-04-14, 2). For the same period, IPC estimates that 50% of women-headed households (approximately 3.1 million people) were experiencing acute food insecurity of Phase 3 or more (IPC 2025-04-14, 9). In 7 regions, according to IPC estimates for the period of March-June 2025, the severity was at Phase 4, or [translation] "Emergency," including 25% of Grand'Anse department's women-headed households (IPC 2025-04-14, 9). In Nord department, IPC estimates that 40% of women-headed households were at Phase 3 Crisis food insecurity (IPC 2025-04-14, 10).
Factors including the [translation] "deterioration and intensification of violence by armed gangs, rising food prices, loss of household income opportunities, and lack of planned humanitarian assistance" have contributed to the worsening of the crisis (IPC 2025-04-14, 2).
OCHA reports that Haiti's health systems are "near collapse," its hospitals are "under attack," and its schools have been destroyed or transformed into shelters (UN 2025-08-31). It adds that "ongoing deportations" to the country have further exacerbated the situation of "overstretched services" (UN 2025-08-31).
According to BTI 2024, the "physical infrastructure and services" available in Haiti are mostly found in the capital, "and in a few provincial towns" (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 7). It adds that in poor rural and urban areas, it is "mostly" non-state actors and NGOs that provide resources and services (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 7). The Consultant at HWC stated that access to public information and services is "generally more limited outside major urban centres" (2025-12-08). For instance, women have relatively greater access to economic markets and support services provided by NGOs in urban areas like Port-au-Prince and parts of Cap-Haïtien (Consultant 2025-12-08). However, women also face "acute security and gang-related barriers" in those same areas (Consultant 2025-12-08).
The Consultant further noted that women-headed households "often" live in "deeper poverty" with "less infrastructure" and "fewer formal services" (2025-12-08). The same source added that the security situation across the country has "further reduced" access to services across both rural and urban areas alike (Consultant 2025-12-08).
3.1. Housing
The UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) indicates that women-headed households have "limited access to inputs [6], land resources, training, and agricultural techniques" and face "socio-cultural barriers" and a "lack of education and resources" (UN 2025-06-25). The Consultant at HWC stated that single women and women who head their own households face "practical barriers" to accessing "stable housing," including "limited economic resources, lack of formal documentation, gender discrimination in labor markets, and service disruptions due to insecurity or infrastructure gaps" (2025-12-08). The Consultant added that single women and women who head their own households are afforded only "limited legal/land rights," affecting their ability to access and maintain secure housing (2025-12-08).
3.2. Employment
According to the Consultant at HWC, single women and women who head their own households face "practical barriers" to accessing "formal employment," including "limited economic resources, lack of formal documentation, gender discrimination in labor markets, and service disruptions due to insecurity or infrastructure gaps" (2025-12-08).
According to the US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2023, women do not have the "same social and economic status as men" in Haiti, despite legal prohibitions against gender-based economic discrimination, "including for access to employment" (US 2024-04-22, 27). BTI 2024 states that women in Haiti face "limitations" in accessing employment (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 24). According to US Country Reports 2023, women contend with "barriers to accessing economic inputs and securing collateral for credit, information on lending programs, and other resources," as well as "restricted job opportunities, lower pay, and reduced access to banking and other support services" (US 2024-04-22, 27). BTI 2024 similarly notes that women are "excluded from the bank credit system, government subsidy programs and public procurement" and "dominate" Haiti's informal economy (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 16). BTI 2024 adds that women's wages are, on average, 32% below those of men (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 24).
3.3. Education
BTI 2024 reports that women are limited to "an inferior education compared to men" (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 24). It adds that the "quality of education" in the country is "rapidly declining" due to "numerous governance deficits" and insufficient investment (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 26). The BINUH report indicates that the education sector "continues to be severely affected by escalating violence" (UN 2025-04-14, para. 59).
According to the Consultant at HWC, single women and women who head their own household face "practical barriers" to accessing education, including "limited economic resources, lack of formal documentation, gender discrimination in labor markets, and service disruptions due to insecurity or infrastructure gaps" (2025-12-08).
3.4. Health Services
According to US Country Reports 2023, women have "limited access" to clinics to obtain reproductive health services, and face stigma against the use of contraception (US 2024-04-22, 28).
According to the Consultant at HWC, single women and women who head their own household face "practical barriers" to accessing "health care" including "limited economic resources, lack of formal documentation, gender discrimination in labor markets, and service disruptions due to insecurity or infrastructure gaps" (2025-12-08). The Consultant indicated that "some localized health and women's services" are provided by NGOs in Cap-Haïtien but that "needs remain high" (2025-12-08).
According to the Washington Post, 60% of all humanitarian aid into Haiti in 2024 was funded by the US, including 40% of primary care services and 170 clinics which were supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) (2025-02-16). The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS), which is part of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service (GIWPS n.d.), states that the effects of US foreign aid cuts continue to develop in 2025, "placing women and girls at risk of losing their remaining access to healthcare, food support, and other essential services" (2025-11-23).
3.5. Support Services
BTI 2024 reports that Haiti has "almost no welfare regime," and its social safety net is "extremely rudimentary, fragmented, limited in reach and underfunded" (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 23). It adds that state investment in health services is "relatively low," and that international aid and private funding "significantly" account for health expenditures in the country (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 23). The Consultant at HWC indicated that "most dedicated shelters, comprehensive GBV response centers, and specialised psychosocial services" are located in the Port-au-Prince area (2025-12-08). The same source added that Cap-Haïtien has "some NGO health and protection actors" but there are "far fewer" than in the capital region (Consultant 2025-12-08). Furthermore, in Jérémie and "many" other rural areas, there are "minimal or irregular services" and women must rely on "visiting teams or local NGOs when available" (Consultant 2025-12-08).
4. State Protection
The Consultant at HWC characterized state protection and social safety nets in Haiti as "weak and unevenly implemented," with legal frameworks existing but without state enforcement (2025-12-08). The same source added that public services are limited and that as a result, single women and women who head households depend on NGOs and community ties for resources (Consultant 2025-12-08).
According to the Consultant at HWC, Haiti has ratified international laws that address violence and discrimination against women "on paper," but "many legal reforms" are still "incomplete" and "enforcement is weak" (2025-12-08). The same source added that state capacity to "protect vulnerable women is limited" (Consultant 2025-12-08). According to BTI 2024, there are "is a lack of public programs or initiatives" to improve gender equality in Haiti (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 24). It adds that the 2020 Social Protection and Promotion Policy by Haiti's Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, which laid out a response to reduce inequalities, has yet to be implemented (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 24).
The Consultant at HWC indicated that resources like police, social welfare programs, shelters, and legal aid offer inadequate, unevenly distributed, or otherwise inaccessible protection for women, "especially in contexts of widespread insecurity where government presence is limited" (2025-12-08). This has led NGOs, women's organizations, and international agencies to take up the charge of providing protection and services to women in various regions across Haiti (Consultant 2025-12-08). Similarly, BTI 2024 indicates that the 4 institutions that make up Haiti's welfare system have "governance problems, weak financial means and corruption scandals" (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 24).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Notes
[1] BTI 2024 "assesses the transformation toward democracy and a market economy as well as the quality of governance in 137 countries" (Bertelsmann Stiftung 2024, 2).[back]
[2] HWC is a US-based NGO that supports women-headed organizations in Haiti through funding, capacity-building, networking, and advocacy on issues related to women's economic empowerment and reproductive health services access, among others (HWC n.d.).[back]
[3] CARE is an international NGO based in the US that focuses on overcoming poverty among women and girls around the world (CARE n.d.).[back]
[4] CSIS is "a bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization" based in the US conducting research "on both short- and long-term issues that will determine American prosperity and security" (CSIS n.d.).[back]
[5] IPC is an international network of 21 partner organizations including CARE International, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, the World Bank, and the UN WHO, which publishes classification and analytical reports on the "severity and extent of acute and chronic food insecurity and acute malnutrition situations within countries" (IPC n.d.). IPC classifies acute levels of food insecurity under 5 distinct categories of severity (phases) and assigns a category to a given region when 20% of its population has reached that level of severity (IPC 2025-04-14, 1). The levels are as follows:
- Phase 1: Minimal
- Phase 2: Stressed
- Phase 3: Crisis
- Phase 4: Emergency
- Phase 5: Famine (IPC 2025-04-14, 1).[back]
[6] According to a report by the Haitian government on food security, which is cited by the UN Women report, [translation] "agricultural inputs, (seeds, fertilizers) are an important need for households, particularly in rural departments" (Haiti 2025-03, 16).[back]
References
Bertelsmann Stiftung. 2024. "Haiti Country Report." Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index (BTI) 2024. [Accessed 2025-12-04]
CARE. 2025-04-14. "Haiti: Women and Girls Bear the Brunt of Rising Hunger, Displacement, and Violence." [Accessed 2025-12-16]
CARE. N.d. "Who We Are." [Accessed 2025-12-16]
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). 2024-09-19. Christopher Hernandez-Roy & Juliana Rubio. The Gender-Based Violence Crisis in Haiti. [Accessed 2025-12-16]
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). N.d. "About CSIS." [Accessed 2025-12-11]
Consultant, Haitian Women's Collective (HWC). 2025-12-08. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS). 2025-11-23. "Haiti." [Accessed 2025-12-16]
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS). N.d. "Who We Are." [Accessed 2026-01-12]
Haiti. 2025-03. Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Ressources naturelles et du Développement rural (MARNDR) & Coordination nationale de la sécurité alimentaire (CNSA). Enquête nationale de suivi de la sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle. [Accessed 2026-01-13]
Haitian Women's Collective (HWC). N.d. "About the Haitian Women's Collective." [Accessed 2025-12-16]
Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). 2025-04-14. "Haiti." Analyse IPC de l’insécurité alimentaire aiguë : mars-juin 2025. [Accessed 2025-12-11]
Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). N.d. "IPC Overview and Classification System." [Accessed 2025-12-11]
United Nations (UN). 2025-08-31. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Haiti Crisis in Numbers. [Accessed 2025-12-16]
United Nations (UN). 2025-06-25. UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). "Call to Action for the Inclusion of Women in Decision-Making for the Improvement of Their Food and Nutrition Security in Haiti." [Accessed 2025-12-18]
United Nations (UN). 2025-04-14. Bureau intégré des Nations Unies en Haïti (BINUH). Report of the Secretary-General. (S/2025/226) [Accessed 2025-12-15]
United Nations (UN). 2025. International Organization for Migration (IOM). "International Women's Day 2025: Uplifting the Voices of Displaced and Migrant Women in Haiti." [Accessed 2025-12-16]
United States (US). 2024-04-22. Department of State. "Haiti." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2023. [Accessed 2025-12-01]
The Washington Post. 2025-02-16. Amanda Coletta. "In Haiti, Trump's Assault on Foreign Aid Is 'A Gift to the Gangs'." [Accessed 2025-12-16]
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: 100% Fanm; Bureau des avocats internationaux; Fédération des femmes organisées du nord; Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti; Nègès Mawon; Regroupement des femmes actives d'Haïti; Solidarite Fanm Ayisyèn.
Internet sites, including: AlterPresse; Amnesty International; Austrian Red Cross – Austrian Centre for Country of Origin & Asylum Research and Documentation, ecoi.net; Better Work Haiti; The Borgen Project; Bureau des avocats internationaux; Freedom House; Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime; The Guardian; Haiti National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Initiative; Haitian Bridge Alliance; Human Rights Watch; Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti; International Monetary Fund; Journal of Economic Issues; Médecins sans frontières; Nègès Mawon; Solidarite Fanm Ayisyèn; UN – Pan American Health Organization, ReliefWeb, UN Population Fund; World Bank.