Violence permeates every fiber of Haitian society. It used to linger on the outskirts of the capital, targeting the poorest, but now everyone — from street vendors to doctors to schoolchildren — are in its grip.
Yet, people find ways to keep living.
For the first half of 2024, Associated Press photographers have documented how violence has affected the capital, Port-au-Prince, and what it looks like on a daily basis as people go about their lives, going to work, school and grocery shopping.
It’s become increasingly common to see victims of violence sprawled on busy streets.
You see people on motorcycles zooming past bodies in the middle of a road or sidestepping them on sidewalks. Some glance at the bodies; others just stay the course. It’s also common to see dogs or other animals gnawing on the remains of a body left abandoned on a street.
Every day, gunfire scatters Haitians who flee the streets and hide behind a wall or a column of a nearby building for protection as gangs...
