By Wisnel Pierre, Le Midi Info, Nov. 1, 2025
In a statement addressed to the Inspector General of the Haitian National Police, Ombudsman Jean Winner Morin detailed allegations that officer Sévère Arly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl held in custody at the Saint-Marc Civil Prison.
To protect the victim's identity, her name has not been released, in accordance with the wishes of many observers. Morin has requested the intervention of the head of the Inspector General's office to place the officer involved in isolation and to provide legal assistance to the 16-year-old girl, in order to prevent an early pregnancy resulting from the sexual assault she suffered.
Morin said the officers actions must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. These cases of police officers using their position to abuse vulnerable women have become commonplace in society. In Jérémie, several similar situations have been reported by local organizations. According to Guillaume Insiconu, one of the leaders of the "Odèp Ayiti" organization operating in Grand'Anse, in some cases victims' families make deals with the perpetrators for fear that the victim will be ridiculed.
To protect the image of the PNH, Morin is appealing to the Inspector General to bring to justice police officer Sévère Arly.
Posted Nov. 17, 2025