The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has released its latest assessment of internal displacement in Haiti, reflecting the severity of the current crisis.

As of December 2023, more than 310,000 people were internally displaced. More than half of the people currently displaced in the country were displaced in 2023, illustrating the constant worsening of the security and humanitarian situation, particularly in Port-au-Prince.

The study used the IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) and represents a joint effort with the Haitian Directorate General of Civil Protection (DGPC). The exercise covered 7 departments (Artibonite, Center, Grand'Anse, Nippes, West, South and South East, i.e. three additional departments compared to November 2022, the objective being to cover all ten departments by the end of 2024.

The extreme brutality faced by Haitians compounds deep inequalities, high levels of deprivation of basic needs and a fragmented security environment. 94% of displaced people in Haiti come from the West department.

The IOM assessment shows that women, children and men have been forced to leave their homes in search of shelter away from violence and destruction. More than half of them, 172,300, are children, a particularly vulnerable group. Faced with emergency situations, the first responders are generally local communities; data shows that outside the capital, host families accommodate displaced people.

Figures for the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince paint a different picture, with only 45% of displaced people sheltered by host communities, a downward trend which demonstrates the deterioration of the situation for the entire population, including host families and their ability to cope.

The trend of forced displacement highlights a steady deterioration in the security and humanitarian situation.

Despite the deteriorating security situation in the capital, IOM and its partners, local authorities and leaders, continue to provide assistance where it is most needed, helping to ensure the protection of the most vulnerable people on the move, such as young women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

HL/ HaitiLibre