Femme en Action Contre la Stigmatisation et la Discrimination Sexuelle (FACSDIS)

About the Organization Contact and Service Areas Successes and Impact Innovative Solutions for IPV Survivors’ Economic Security Survivor Leadership Understanding Economic Harm in Context

About the Organization

Country

Haiti

Number of survivors served in a year

51 to 100

Languages

French

Groups most commonly served

Members of the LGBTQIA+ community Rural communities Sex workers Women Youth, children, or adolescents

Type of organization

Nonprofit or non-governmental organization (NGO)

Program model(s)

Holistic crisis response Survivor-centered income generation Systemic change through strategic partnerships Transforming social norms through community-building

Contact and Service Areas

Service Area(s)

National, based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Successes and Impact

“We need to keep working. In spite of the challenges posed by armed gangs and kidnappings, we must persevere. We continue our work, show up at our workplaces, go out into the field, and undertake everything that is part of our struggle and commitment.”¹

FACSDIS draws strength from their community to continue combating violence through their comprehensive programming—despite the challenges posed by Haiti’s political instability and the country’s persistent economic issues. Though FACSDIS focuses on providing support for lesbian, bisexual, and trans (LBT) women and sex workers, they view their organization as an integral part of a larger movement to fight violence alongside survivors from all backgrounds and identities.

Supporting LBT survivors and building an inclusive movement to fight GBV

“In Haiti, there aren’t many women’s organizations working with lesbian women,” FACSDIS points out. As an organization dedicated to providing services to LBT women and sex workers, FACSDIS fills a crucial gap in support for two groups that face significant stigmatization in the country. Although their focus is on these groups, FACSDIS also serves all survivors regardless of background or identity, contributing to critically needed solidarity-building within the wider feminist and women’s movements. “It’s a fight we wage together,” FACSDIS says. “Even though we work with LGBT women, we welcome all those who are victims of violence, because we work against violence.”

Survivors create a network of peer advocates and educators

In the face of overwhelming structural barriers, FACSDIS continues its work thanks to the strength of the survivor network it has built over the past decade. Survivors volunteer as peer advocates and educators, conducting groundwork and introducing the organization to other survivors who need support. FACSDIS sees this involvement as an impact worth celebrating, since these program participants have gone beyond receiving services and now actively participate in the movement to combat violence in their communities: “They were victims of violence, and we had peer [advocates] who brought them to FACSDIS, and after that, [the survivors] became involved in the work. . . . We engage in work [where] the [participants] understand [the importance of] what we do.”

Innovative Solutions for IPV Survivors’ Economic Security

“While it may not directly address issues like paying rent or immediate financial needs, learning a trade or profession can empower [survivors] to be self-sufficient in the long run. Professional training is a sustainable investment.”

About the Program

Operating under complex and dangerous conditions, FACSDIS combines emergency support for survivors with career training that can prepare them to build self-sufficiency in the long run. Its emergency services include accommodations in a safe house, psychosocial support, and access to free health services.

FACSDIS couples these short-term programs with career training to help survivors build their financial futures. Through this effort, the organization has facilitated LBT women’s access to professional courses in computer science and cosmetology—training that is especially impactful for survivors who haven’t been able to access traditional education. “Many haven’t completed their studies or received professional training,” FACSDIS notes. “If someone hasn’t completed their education, they can benefit from technical courses in technology, computers, or other specialized training to support their needs.”

Program Development and Key Strategies

FACSDIS identified the following strategies as crucial to the organization’s ability to provide support for survivors in both the short and long term:

Creating a safe environment so survivors can engage in economic programming
Leveraging survivor networks to reach isolated survivors in need of support
Addressing severe resource constraints through partnerships and joint advocacy

Creating a safe environment so survivors can engage in economic programming

In their work, FACSDIS has found that survivors must feel safe in their general environment in order to engage effectively in non-emergency economic programming. The organization provides a shelter where survivors can receive services and participate in programming without fear of violence from their harm-doer. In Haiti’s current context of generalized gang violence, physical safety at a shelter is even more crucial.

“This approach is just to distance them from the violence a little bit and have them see a psychologist, to support their mental health and also to see how to help them meet their needs,” FACSDIS explains. Additionally, the organization takes great care to go beyond only offering temporary accommodations and provides training to staff and volunteers to create a safe, survivor-centered environment: “When we talk about a safe house [for shelter], there’s a comprehensive suite [of services] in the safe house. The person needs to feel comfortable [in that environment].”

Leveraging survivor networks to reach isolated survivors in need of support

The current gang violence in Haiti has severely limited the ability of FACSDIS to reach and support survivors, particularly in small towns and other regions outside of the capital. Nevertheless, the organization has been able to successfully continue operation in a number of high-risk areas through the support of survivor peer advocates and educators.

“These individuals live in those areas and can mobilize, raise awareness, and bring us people who have experienced violence. They know the area well and can locate individuals in need,” the organization says. “For instance, when armed gangs push people back into their areas, these peer educators go out for field studies to determine how many people there are.”

FACSDIS’s peer advocates and educators undergo training two to three times a year on how to provide appropriate, survivor-centered support to program participants. This ongoing support amid dangerous conditions is proof of the power survivors hold when equipped with the skills, space, and knowledge needed to support other survivors.

Addressing severe resource and political constraints through partnerships and joint advocacy

Partners provide crucial reinforcement for needed services in resource constrained context

FACSDIS shares that they’ve experienced great difficulty in accessing funding for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) even though there is a significant need in the regions where they work. With international organizations rapidly abandoning their work in Haiti because of the current political crisis, accessing resources and support is even more challenging. FACSDIS’s ability to secure local partnerships and mutual aid has contributed to their survival and ability to provide on-going critical support to survivors. These partnerships are essential to meeting survivors’ varied needs and carrying on with programming. “There are partners who help us with materials, and even help us with training. . . . [An organization] is supporting us with psychologists, and we also receive additional support from other national partners and organizations that contribute to our training initiatives.”

Joint advocacy can mitigate fallout from political turnover

Partnerships are also crucial to advocacy efforts in Haiti. Despite frequent government turnover and instability, which can create new challenges and gaps in continuity, FACSDIS has found that their ability to secure joint advocacy efforts and partnerships allows them to continue advocating for the rights of survivors. Previously, the organization conducted policy advocacy on behalf of lesbian women in conjunction with a group of lawyers in the United States, who were connected to FACSDIS through an existing organizational partnership. The organization also works with another human rights group to boost their advocacy efforts. “Often when we want to convey a message to the government, even if it’s difficult, we manage to get the message across,” FACSDIS says.

Survivor Leadership

“We have survivors of violence who work as volunteers in the fight . . . to see how to combat [violence]. For us, the biggest impact we want to have is to reduce the rate of violence we experience.”

Established in 2010 by lesbian leaders and sex workers, FACSDIS believes that survivors are experts by experience and should drive the movement to end GBV. In addition to providing services to survivors, the organization also works with survivor volunteers as peer advocates and educators. These survivors are former program participants and receive additional training in order to counsel other survivors and assist with their intake. FACSDIS says, “We have peer advocates, field facilitators, and educators doing work in the field. They bring the person to the office, and there’s a designated space for interviews to understand the problems. We meet the person, then assess the situation.”

Thanks to strategic survivor leadership, FACSDIS has managed to support LBT women and sex worker survivors in Haiti, which can be difficult and dangerous due to societal discrimination, while also opening their doors to all survivors and advocating for greater rights and protections across the board.

Understanding Economic Harm in Context

According to a 2017 study, one in three women in Haiti has been subjected to intimate partner violence by a current husband or partner, including physical, emotional, and sexual violence.² FACSDIS is based in Port-au-Prince, where escalating gang violence has impacted both the daily lives of survivors and the ability of organizations to administer services. Coupled with patriarchal norms and high rates of poverty, the organization faces a complex web of challenges to provide support to survivors across various regions in Haiti. The following key factors shape how survivors experience IPV and economic harm in the country:

Generalized violence further threatens survivors’ safety and hinders access to support
Harmful gender norms perpetuate intimate partner violence and survivors’ economic insecurity
Economic deprivation increases the risk of intimate partner violence

Generalized violence further threatens survivors’ safety and hinders access to support

Gang violence compounds the harm survivors are subjected to

Haiti’s escalating gang violence has created a perilous environment for civilians.³ A UN report revealed a fivefold increase in reported gender-based violence (GBV) cases in the Port-au-Prince region early in 2024, with cases rising from 250 in January and February combined to 1,543 in March alone.⁴ Much of this spike is due to women’s and children’s increased exposure to violence as a result of displacement. Further, a survey from UN Women found that over 80% of the internally displaced persons they spoke to have no source of income in the makeshift camps where they have sought refuge from gang violence.⁵

FACSDIS has witnessed firsthand how the violence survivors face has significantly worsened over the past few years, including survivors being murdered by intimate partners and attacked or kidnapped by armed gangs. This alarming pattern is increasingly pervasive throughout the country.⁶ “We used to [only] have domestic violence and homophobia, but now we [also] have armed gang violence. . . . Homophobia can be found within families, but . . . domestic and gang violence occurs in the neighborhoods where the beneficiaries or survivors live. It is becoming more serious than we could imagine.”

Generalized violence threatens service providers’ safety and ability to support survivors

FACSDIS notes that one of the main difficulties they face in providing services to survivors is the inability to operate in complete safety because of the pervasive violence. “In Haiti, there is a situation where armed gangs constantly change their locations. Today, they may be in one area, tomorrow in another, and the day after tomorrow, in a completely different place. In this sense, we find it very difficult to go to work every day to get the job done.” Despite this danger, FACSDIS continues to look for ways to support survivors as they can, maintaining flexibility on a day to day basis to respond to risks as they arise.

The organization notes that service providers on the whole are overwhelmed by the levels of violence occurring in the country. “There’s so much violence at the moment, we don’t know where to start, because there’s so much violence. We have armed gang violence, domestic violence, and homophobic violence. . . . FACSDIS is twelve years old—instead of getting better, things are getting a bit more complicated. In the past, we didn’t deal with all these kinds of violence. There was no armed gang violence.”

FACSDIS also notes that women in Haiti experience high rates of femicide and suicide, compounded by the environment of generalized violence and poverty.⁷ In this complex and insecure environment, FACSDIS continues to demonstrate courage, resilience, and creativity as they adapt to changing circumstances. Given their strong grassroots presence, they are uniquely positioned to continue supporting LBT survivors while forging networks of mutual aid.

Harmful gender norms perpetuate intimate partner violence and survivors’ economic insecurity

Heteronormative expectations perpetuate violence

Though Haitian law does not criminalize members of the LGBTQIA+ community, these individuals are not protected under current laws and often face stigmatization, harassment, and violence.⁸ FACSDIS notes, “Bisexual individuals may choose to live with a male partner due to discrimination or stigma. These individuals may face violence if they express any need other than having a man in their lives as a priority.”

Moreover, the organization notes that heteronormative stereotypes can perpetuate intimate partner violence: “When it comes to women, even in lesbian couples, there can be violence similar to that of heterosexual relationships. This may happen because within lesbian couples, some women might take on roles traditionally associated with masculinity,” FACSDIS says. “It’s always dangerous for partners, whatever their sexual orientation.”

Traditional gender roles lead to women’s economic vulnerability and dependence

FACSDIS says that, for many women in Haiti, economic vulnerability begins in childhood, as most girls do not finish their education due to gender stereotypes. The organization explains, “In Haiti, there was a time when little girls did not go to school; it was the boys who went to school because they were considered the men of the house. So, girls stayed at home to do household chores, like washing, cleaning, and such.” This leads to financial dependence in adulthood. FACSDIS notes that women frequently struggle to earn their own income, meaning their partners generally manage the household finances or provide food and necessities for the family. Thus, when these women are subjected to IPV, the organization observes that they are “often afraid to lodge a complaint and to follow up legally because their economic and financial means are weak.”

Economic deprivation increases the risk of intimate partner violence

Nearly 60% of Haitians live below the national poverty line (earning less than $3.68 USD per day), and almost half of the working age population is unemployed.⁹ These conditions result from decades, and even centuries, of colonial exploitation, political instability, corruption, and the devastating impact of natural disasters.¹⁰ FACSDIS suggests that the country’s structural issues are directly connected to IPV.

“There is research that we conducted . . . which found that women with husbands who are fishermen or farmers are sometimes subjected to violence because of issues related to sustenance,” FACSDIS says. The organization observes, “Given the numerous individuals facing challenging circumstances, we are dealing with such situations on a daily basis. Each day, we encounter people who need accommodation, assistance to escape violence, and support related to intimate partners, as the demand is substantial. . . . What we found is that when women are victimized by their partners, it’s related to their needs.”

With similar organizations shuttering in Haiti, FACSDIS is seeing an increase in the daily need for support. FACSDIS’s survival serves as a beacon of hope for survivors in Haiti. Continued investment in FACSDIS’s work will ensure that survivors of diverse genders and sexualities have a fighting chance to survive and thrive.

Notes

Direct quotes are slightly edited for style and flow.
James R. Occean, Nicholas Thomas, Andrew C. Lim, Sharonda M. Lovett, Abimbola Michael-Asalu and Abraham A. Salinas-Miranda, “Prevalence and Factors Associated With Intimate Partner Violence Among Women in Haiti: Understanding Household, Individual, Partner, and Relationship Characteristics,” Journal of Interpersonal Violence 36, nos. 23–24 (2021): 11356–84, https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519898443.
“Haiti: Millions of Lives on the Brink amid Multiple Crises,” UN News, August 22, 2024, https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1153476.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), “Haiti Emergency Situation Report No. 23 (As of 16 May 2024),” May 17, 2024, https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/haiti/haiti-emergency-situation-report-no-23-16-may-2024.
OCHA, “Haiti Emergency Situation Report no 23”; Guerda Previlon and Abdoul Nasser Moustapha Ahmed, Addressing Haitian Women’s Particular Needs Through Their Leadership Role: A UN Women Rapid Gender Assessment of Haiti, UN Women, 2024, https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/Addressing-Haitian-womens-particular-needs-through-their-leadership-role-en.pdf.
“Haiti crises have reached ‘a critical point’: UN envoy,” UN News, January 25, 2024, https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/01/1145897.
The female homicide rate in 2023 in Haiti was 8.7 per 100,000 women, compared to female homicide rates of 5.6 in Mexico and 6.7 in Ecuador per 100,000 women—both countries known to have high femicide rates (“Female Homicide Rate,” Our World in Data, accessed October 10, 2025, https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/female-homicide-rate). The suicide mortality rate for women in Haiti in 2021 was 5.1 per 100,000 women—also a high rate compared to countries in the region like Mexico and Ecuador, both 2.6 per 100,000 women in 2021 (“Suicide Mortality Rate (per 100,000 Population),” World Bank Gender Data Portal, accessed October 10, 2025, https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/sh-sta-suic-p5).
“Country Overview: Haiti,” Outright International, accessed October 10, 2025, https://outrightinternational.org/our-work/americas/haiti.
The World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform, “Country Profile: Haiti,” accessed October 10, 2025, https://pip.worldbank.org/country-profiles/HTI; Guy Oswald Obama, Enquête sur les conditions de vie des ménages apres le seisme (ECVMAS – Phase 1), Tome 1 : Resultats d’ensemble, Haiti (2014), 70, https://www.haiti-now.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/2012-13-ENQUETE-SUR-LES-CONDITIONS-DE-VIE.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOoruUJLX6YBjbd9WQgXp0iblFIY1BgMRHxPzFj98_ppTi_Xnifi9.
Murdo J. MacLeod, James A. Ferguson, Robert Lawless and Christian Antoine Girault, “Haiti,” Encyclopedia Britannica, October 8, 2025, https://www.britannica.com/place/Haiti.