UN Women reports that 300,000 women and girls have been displaced in Haiti due to violence by armed gangs.
In a report published on July 17, UN Women reported that 300,000 women and girls have been displaced in Haiti, due to the current political instability and the escalation of violence committed by armed gangs and also due to hurricanes that only further threaten the country.
According to the report, women and girls represent 54% of the 580,000 displaced people in Haiti, and highlights that the makeshift camps in place lack basic necessities for the populations, and that women and girls in particular are exposed to risks of sexual and gender-based violence.
To produce the report, researchers conducted surveys in the six most populated and diverse IDP sites in Port-au-Prince, where they observed that most camps have no lighting, essential spaces such as bedrooms and toilets are not equipped with locks, and people living there face daily threats from armed gangs. “Constant exposure to stray bullets and other security risks underscores the urgency of improving protection in the camps,” the report states.
UN Women reports that among women surveyed, only 2 per cent reported taking on a leadership role in the management of IDP sites, and there is therefore an urgent need to ensure the active participation of women and girls in decision-making in camps and to put in place immediate protection measures for women and girls who are at risk on a daily basis.
In her statements, UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous stressed that the level of insecurity and brutality, including sexual violence, that women face at the hands of gangs in Haiti is unprecedented. She said it must be stopped immediately.
“We call on the new government to take steps to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, and to strengthen women’s participation in camp management so that their security concerns can be heard and addressed. Humanitarian assistance must be delivered safely, based on the differentiated needs of women and girls,” she said.
In front of this situation, UN Women supports women’s organisations to engage with displaced people in host communities and displacement camps, including through projects supported by the Women, Peace and Humanitarian Action Fund, the United Nations Peacebuilding Trust Fund and Germany.
She also calls on all stakeholders involved in the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMSS) to ensure the immediate protection of women and girls, as well as to entrust women’s organizations in Haiti with a leading role in the management of these overcrowded displacement camps where thousands of women and girls risk their lives on a daily basis.
Read also :
