Haiti: 94% of the Women Suffers Sexual Violence
Haitian Mother, Nov 2024 Photo: @UNFPA
November 25, 2024 Hour: 6:31 pm
According to Susana Sottoli, Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for Latin America and the Caribbean: “94% of women in Haiti are exposed to some form of gender-based violence, and of all the complaints received, about 80% refer to sexual violence”.
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Criminal gangs, which control 80% of the capital and its surroundings, subject girls and women to horrific sexual abuse, and survivors have limited access to protection and care services due to resource constraints and difficulties in accessing existing resources, according to the international agency.
During a joint mission to Haiti from 15-18 October 2024, Sottoli and UN Women regional director Maria Noel Vaeza assessed that sexual violence has increased dramatically and reported cases quintupled in the first quarter of 2024.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 1,543 cases of violence are reported monthly; this figure is far from the reality because of the barriers to accessing complaint mechanisms.
Haiti has experienced a 1000% increase in sexual violence against children, especially girls, by 2024, and the rise in violence by armed gangs has displaced more than 700,000 people, UNFPA reports.
Although UNFPA and UN Women are working with local authorities to provide essential services for women victims of violence or displaced, aid remains insufficient and inaccessible.
Autor: OSG
Fuente: HaitiLibre-UNWomen
