Prostitutes in Port-au-Prince in distress in the face of growing insecurity.
Since the end of February, Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, has been plunged into an unprecedented chaotic situation due to gang violence. This security crisis has a severe impact on all aspects of residents’ daily lives, including nighttime activities. Some Downtown prostitutes, who depend on their work to survive, speak anonymously about their difficulties in supporting themselves due to the absence of clients.
Indeed, prostitutes in Port-au-Prince are among the many victims of growing insecurity. Their testimonies, collected by the editorial staff of Juno7, highlight the distress of an already stigmatized and precarious profession. Usually, these women wait for customers in nightclubs and downtown streets, but pervasive fear and violence have forced them to suspend their activities.
“Due to insecurity, we have suspended our prostitution activities. Many women left downtown Port-au-Prince for Pétion-Ville in search of a better life, but I decided to stop temporarily while waiting for the situation in the country to improve. declared Jeannette, a young woman of 27 who carried out this activity in the vicinity of the Champ de Mars.
Nightclubs, places where prostitutes find the majority of their clients, have become areas deserted by men in search of nocturnal entertainment. Insecurity deters potential clients from going out at night, making it impossible for female prostitutes to work. The informal economy, on which a large part of the population depends, is paralyzed by this atmosphere of terror.
Carole complains that men no longer come in large numbers to have fun like before. “Since the start of the violence last February in Port-au-Prince, customers have become rare. As prostitutes, we suffer a lot from this situation,” criticizes Carole, adding that this activity still has no legal status in Haiti.
These poignant testimonies reveal the extent of the difficulties encountered by prostitutes. Already marginalized, they now find themselves without any source of income, struggling to meet their most basic needs. The suspension of their activities not only affects them financially, but also morally, as they try to survive in increasingly precarious conditions.
“Prostitution is our daily life. I have a family to feed and it’s thanks to my customers that I was able to save some money. Everyone works to meet their needs, and for us, it’s our job. We are neither thieves nor gang members. We are simply prostitutes who offer sexual services in exchange for money. We are not hurting anyone,” Barbara said bitterly.
The security crisis in Port-au-Prince is not just about violence and crime; it has profound and devastating human repercussions. Prostitutes, often invisible in political and social discourse, are among the hardest hit. These often marginalized women call for help, hoping that the situation will improve so that they can resume their activities and regain some stability.
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