Haitian women activists join campaign against gender violence

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Many of Haiti’s human rights advocates and feminist organizations will participate in this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) campaign. Led by the United Nations Women agency as part of the UNiTE campaign in observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the activities aim to highlight the alarming rise in violence against women under the theme, “Every 10 Minutes, a woman is killed. #NoExcuse. UNiTE to End Violence against Women.” 

Haitian women’s and feminist organizations, like MARIJÀN, are using this occasion to advocate for measures to combat all forms of gender-based violence, with several events planned, including an educational tour of displacement camps in Port-au-Prince. In August, the UN warned of a “surge in sexual violence against displaced women.” Multiple organizations have also reported that gangs in Haiti are systematically using sexual violence as a tool to further their illegal activities and maintain control over regions, with nearly 4,000 cases of sexual assault reported in the first four months of 2024.

According to the young feminist organization MARIJÀN,  the educational tour begins on Nov. 25, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and will end on Dec. 10, Human Rights Day. The awareness campaign will highlight prevention methods, assaults in the camps, and resources available for survivors of gender-based violence.

“The vast majority of women experience at least one form of gender-based violence in their lifetime,” wrote the leaders of the feminist organization. “Each experience and each journey of recovery is unique. Nevertheless, our collective response remains crucial to preventing violence and supporting survivors in their recovery.”

A call across Haiti to mobilize against gender-based violence, particularly against women and girls

Similarly to MARIJÀN, other women’s and human rights organizations across Haiti have also launched their 16 Days of Activism campaign, urging all sectors to unite against violence perpetrated on women and girls and support victims of all GBV in the country.

While the Federation of Organizations for Women’s Equality and Human Rights (FEDOFEDH) announced it would cancel several of its in-person events due to escalating gang violence in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, it will still hold its virtual roundtable on the theme: “Let’s End Gender-Based Violence: Empower Communities and Strengthen Women’s Rights in Haiti.”

“Every day, lives are shattered, families are mourning due to unjustifiable acts of violence,” says Antoine Augustin, president of the federation. “Every voice raised against violence counts. Together, we can build a just and equitable society where women live freely and safely.”

On its part, Espwa pou Fanm Ayisyen (EFA), Hope for Haitian Women in English, is undertaking the UNiTE campaign while distributing food and hygiene kits to families in camps around the capital.  

“We are also thinking about Christmas,” Victoria Baillergeau, the organization’s founder and executive director, told The Haitian Times.

“We plan to distribute shoe boxes filled with toys to children for Christmas, particularly vulnerable and displaced girls.”

Like in the Haitian capital, various women’s organizations have been motivated to organize debate and discussion sessions in Haiti’s northern region.

In the Northwest department, for instance, the Jean–Rabel-based Organization of Solidarity with Catron’s Women (OFSC) will focus on training women in income-generating activities and GBV. It is organizing a special day of reflection on all forms of violence faced by women and girls in the municipality’s  5th communal section, Catron-La Source.

“I will reaffirm my commitment to advising women while asking them not to tolerate or accept unacceptable behaviors in the face of the mistreatment they suffer,” said Adelène Jean-Jacques Dorméus, president of the OFSC. 

She also called on UN leaders to take a closer look at the situation of Haitian women, notably those victims of violence by armed gangs.

The Haitian Women’s Initiative (IFA) is another feminist organization involved in the UNiTE campaign in Haiti’s Northwest. With its  250+ members, IFA plans to run several workshops on GBV education and awareness from Nov. 25 to Dec. 10. Despite challenges related to road conditions, other infrastructural issues, and economic insecurity, the organization, which has been active for 12 years, continues to work on women’s education and health issues and support victims in the fight against violence.

“With what I went through, I would have preferred to die. When they saw there was no man with me, they attacked me.”

A Haitian woman victim reported by the United Nations Population Fund

“In this organization, we constantly fight against all forms of malicious violence, often crimes of passion against women,” Roseleine Etienne Jeanty, coordinator of IFA, said during an interview with The Haitian Times. “With the women members, we will organize reflection sessions. We will also emphasize our rights and duties within society.”

In the Northeast, several feminist organizations, including Révolté d’Haïti, are mobilizing during the 16 Days of Activism to raise awareness about gender-based violence. The advocates aim to promote gender equality and support victims.

Révolté d’Haïti’s project, supported by the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF)/UN Women, aims to assist 300 women through various activities, including training, medical, psychological, and therapeutic consultations and support.

These activities are designed to equip women with the knowledge and tools needed to combat GBV in their communities. In addition to the workshops, the organizers will meet with people with disabilities, provide therapy for the elderly, and educate women on managing their households and conditions related to fertility.

“By bringing together women and girls from different backgrounds, the workshops and awareness activities will promote solidarity and the creation of support networks, essential to combat violence against women and build a safer and more equitable future for all,” confided Edmonde Pierre-Fils, the WPHF/UN Women project coordinator.

Gender-based violence is devastating for women and girls globally, not just in Haiti

Gender-based violence is a global phenomenon. Women around the world have been victims of violence based on their sex or gender, whether by their partners, family members, or through criminal violence.

Although figures for 2024 are not yet available, UN Women reported that in 2023, approximately 51,100 women and girls were killed by their intimate partners or other family members worldwide. This number is higher than the 48,800 victims estimated in 2022. 

“In other words, on average, 140 women and girls worldwide lost their lives every day at the hands of their partner or a close relative in 2023,” said the UN agency dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women and established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.

“Women and girls everywhere continue to be victims of this extreme form of gender-based violence, and no region is exempt.”

And in Haiti, women and girls, especially those displaced by gang violence, continue to be victims. Nearly 4,500 women have been victims of gender-based violence between January and August 2024. 

According to the latest data from the UN GBV sub-cluster coordination, 69% of these cases are sexual violence, and members of armed groups committed 66%. The reported cases represent only a fraction of the total number of victims. Due to multiple challenges faced by many victims in Haiti, particularly in Port-au-Prince, thousands of cases often go unreported.

According to UN figures, incidents of violence against women and girls increased from 250 in January-February to over 1,500 in March, reaching more than 2,000 in April-May. 

These incidents involved 75% adult women and 20% minor girls, with 61% of the victims being displaced persons living in inadequate camps where their safety is not guaranteed.

Victim’s testimonies highlight thousands of gender-based violence cases  

Recently, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reported the poignant testimony of a mother of seven children, among other victims, illustrating the devastation of violence on women’s lives. She recounted being sexually assaulted while sleeping in a park after fleeing her home due to armed gangs launching an attack in her community, killing residents and burning houses.

“With what I went through, I would have preferred to die,” said the woman to the UNFPA. “When they saw there was no man with me, they attacked me.”

During this heinous act committed by several men, the victim was four months pregnant. Since that day, she has lived in fear and extreme difficulty in caring for her children. She constantly worries about her daughters, who are at risk of experiencing the same fate as her in the context of rising violence driven by gangs, which control more than 85% of the Haitian capital.

“I’m afraid for my daughter, who is 11 years old. I also have a daughter who is turning five, and I am also worried for her,” she added.

This woman’s story is a cry of distress for thousands of women victims of GBV in Haiti. It highlights the vulnerability and precariousness in which women and girls live, being highly exposed to these forms of violence. It also underscores the urgency of taking action to prevent, support victims, and combat violence against women.

This is often a cycle that tends to repeat itself.

The Haitian feminist organization Nègès Mawon reported testimonies based on interviews conducted with six women who confirmed being victims of collective rape orchestrated on them and their daughters by gangs.

“I’ve done nothing to deserve this,” said a victim of sexual assault— a teenage girl whose mother was also raped by gangs days apart while she was in school. 

“Everyone looks at me sideways and humiliates me. I don’t want to take my own life, but every time I see other girls in uniform on their way to school, it’s like I’m dead.”

Editor’s Note: Additional reporting by Fritznel D. Octave, Haiti Editor of The Haitian Times.

The post Haitian women activists join campaign against gender violence appeared first on The Haitian Times.

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Haitian women activists join campaign against gender violence was first posted on November 25, 2024 at 4:43 pm.