Escaping gang violence in Haiti: A Mother’s journey to safety with her three children

Fabiola Luma says the dire situation in Haiti has made it challenging to access basic necessities while under the constant threat of violence.

A woman who fled her home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with her three young children says her family has been forced to move into a nearby church made of sheet metal because of the escalation of violence in the capital, where gangs have taken over about 80% of the streets.

“That’s where we sleep now,” Fabiola Luma, 35, said Monday by phone, referring to a small building, a church without a proper door. She described the constant sound of shootings, including people being shot inside their own homes. 

“Things were never good before,” Luma said, describing the deteriorating situation in her neighborhood, Bon Repos, where the church is. They’ve been in the Protestant church since January of last year. “Now, with the gangs, life is worse.”

According to a United Nations report, at least 15,000 people in Haiti’s capital were displaced in just one week because of rampant gang violence that erupted again on March 2, when more than 4,000 inmates escaped from prison under the command of gang leader Jimmy Chérizier. 

Fabiola Luma fled her home in Port-au-Prince with her three young children.Courtesy Fabiola LumaLuma, who used to work as a house cleaner, said her employers left town over a year ago, leaving her without an income. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/haiti-gang-violence-mothers-journey-safety-rcna142976

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