Criminals in Haiti ‘Raping Quake Survivors’

In corners of the sprawling camp, youths said they were banding together to protect their possessions – bags of clothes, chickens, car batteries – and to collect garbage into piles to be burned.

But this raised fears, too, that the bands might fight among themselves.

Tina Irisia, 45, said youths from outside the camp had come by shouting that a tsunami was on the way. When people fled, she said, they stole whatever they could get their hands on.

“I don’t feel safe. But I don’t have anywhere else to go,” Irisia said as she sliced green peppers in a pan.

“Only Jesus Christ is watching over us,” said Mariana Merise, 40, a neighbour.

The chaos left by the quake has also raised fears that vulnerable children could fall prey to human traffickers. The UN said last week that a number have gone missing from hospitals in Haiti.

The US State Department said yesterday that it was working with Haiti’s government on efforts to crack down on trafficking.