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Countries & Regions


Haiti

Haiti has a population estimated at 10 million (UN, 2009) with an area of 27,750 sq km (10,714 sq miles). The capital is Port-au-Prince. The major languages are Creole and French. 
Considered as the poorest country in the Americas, Haiti achieved notoriety during the brutal dictatorships of the voodoo physician Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier and his son, Jean-Claude, or "Baby Doc." Tens of thousands of people were killed under their 29-year rule. However, the main problem of Haiti remains the wealth gap between the majority of the population who speak Creole, and the minority French-speakers whom own half of the country' s wealth. 

Violence against women is widespread in Haiti. Women are at risk of being raped at any time. The recent earthquake disaster where tens of thousands of people were killed and much of the capital and its wider area were devastated made women more vulnerable to sexual attack. Women living in temporary camps feel threatened that they could be victims of sexual violence at any time.

  • Haiti ratified The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in July 20, 1981

  • Haiti does not have a National Action Plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325)

  • Haiti has a UN peacekeeping mandate: United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)

Sources:BBC; Amnesty International; UNIFEM

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  • March 4, 2013 (USAID)
    HAITI: Video of the Week: Empowering Women in Haiti The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with partner Heartland Alliance International has been strengthening the leadership of grassroots women in Haiti to engage in and advocate for redevelopment with the vision of a country where women participate in home, public and economic life free from the threat of harassment and violence.
  • January 12, 2013 (International Rescue Committee)
    HAITI: Haiti, Three Years After the Earthquake: Empowering Women When a catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010 – killing more than 200,000 people and leaving some 1.5 million homeless – the International Rescue Committee immediately dispatched our emergency team to help.
  • October 23, 2012 (Washington Post)
    HAITI: Haiti Honors Maria Bello for her Women's Advocacy Following 2010 Earthquake Haiti's President Michel Martelly honored Maria Bello on Tuesday for her advocacy work on behalf of the Caribbean country's women.
  • September 24, 2012 (Gender Action)
    HAITI: Will it Work for Women? New Gender Action Case Assesses World-Bank Financed Haitian National Housing Policy Gender Action's new case study, Haiti's National Housing Policy: Will it Work for Women? demonstrates that the Haitian government's World Bank-supported draft National Housing Policy risks burdening the poor, especially women, with expensive and unobtainable housing by relying on private solutions. The case study concludes with recommendations for strengthening the Policy to ensure that projects are affordable and accessible to all, especially the 1.5 million Haitians that remain displaced, almost three years after the January 2010 earthquake. This case study is also available in French: La Politique Nationale du Logement: Aidera-t-elle les Haitiennes?
  • July 26, 2012 (Co.Exist)
    HAITI: When 911 Isn't There: Inside Haiti's Rape Crisis Hotline It is hard for most foreigners to understand the poor state of Haiti's infrastructure. Only 30% of the country's population has access to electricity. Haitian firefighters often lack basic supplies and local police routinely fail background checks. Due to the fact that Haiti's emergency phone number, 114, fails to work in most areas, alternatives were needed. This is problematic for everyone, but perhaps especially so for Haitian women who are victims of sexual violence, an incredibly prevalent crime in the country. So in May, Haiti received its first 24 hour hotline for rape and sexual violence victims designed for access via mobile phone.

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Sources

BBC Countries Profiles

Amnesty International

United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)

Security Council Resolution 1325 Translations


 

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