Northeast Haiti Women’s challenge sparks national push for absentee father accountability

OUANNAMINTHE —Lyne Joseph was only seventeen when she became pregnant with her first daughter by her high school sweetheart. 

“When he found out I was pregnant, he left me with the child in my belly without worrying about my pregnancy,” Joseph said, who’s now 26 years old. “He now lives abroad, in the Dominican Republic, with another woman and is not taking responsibility for our daughter.”

Like many women in her shoes, Joseph decided to take part in the viral social media challenge Papa Okipe Pitit ou Creole for “Father care for your child” to air her frustrations about the lack of support from her daughter’s father. 

Two months ago, Ouanaminthe Women’s Association‘Vwa Fanm Yo’ —Women’s Voices in English— launched the viral challenge to raise awareness among single mothers about their legal rights for parental support. 

Their goal is to end the burden of financial responsibility shouldered by women alone and to enforce legal accountability for absentee fathers. The Northeast Women’s Association behind the call remains steadfast in its mission. 

“This is our work; we provide services to all the women who visit our office,” said Edline Joseph, the coordinator of ‘Vwa Fanm Yo’ the Ouanaminthe women’s organization. “It is a part of our program, and we offer legal assistance to all women. 

The women’s organization’s advocacy has six lawyers available and ready to assist women with legal matters Joseph said.  

Raising awareness, legal advocacy, and enforcing accountability

In Haiti, the issue of parental responsibilities, particularly when it comes to fathers who refuse to assume their duties, is deeply troubling. Although the law outlines these responsibilities, enforcement remains a significant challenge. The law on paternity, maternity, and filiation, voted in the Chamber of Deputies on May 10, 2010, and in the Senate on April 12, 2012, promulgated by President Joseph Michel Martelly on May 28, 2014, and published in the government official newspaper Le Moniteur, number 105 edition of June 4, 2014.

The awareness movement that sparked this social media challenge began in the Northeast Department last June, where women’s rights associations, supported by concerned men, mobilized to encourage women to denounce fathers who avoid assuming their responsibilities. 

“We set up this movement to tell men to stop getting women pregnant without taking care of the children,” said Nerline Mompremier, head of the women’s association, known in its French acronym as AFO.

The challenge quickly gained traction on social media, where women shared their experiences and called on men to step up. Numerous men also joined the conversation, encouraging their peers to take responsibility. 

“If the children who were not taken care of by their father had been ashamed, with this movement, the country would have been broken, Facebook would have crashed,” wrote Eliphète Jean-Gilles on Facebook.

“No man who takes responsibility and properly cares for his children does not feel proud this week. They worked for it,” wrote Rose Darline Châtelain, a participant in the challenge.

Women in the Northeast, particularly those raising children alone, face severe economic hardships. At a time when Haiti is grappling with a difficult financial situation and with the school year just around the corner, this challenge has taken on new urgency. 

“I work two jobs to take care of myself and my children, send them to school,” said Judeline Antoine, a 23-year-old mother of two.

School officials in the region confirm that most children are enrolled by their mothers, who handle all the responsibilities. 

“It is a fact that during registration, the majority of the children carry the signature of their mother, and it is the mother who is responsible for everything for these children,” said Pastor Gregory Joseph, head of the Vision Nouvelle College— a high school in Ouanaminthe.

The challenge has also sparked discussions about Haiti’s legal framework governing parental responsibilities. However, the legal process is often expensive and inaccessible for many women, especially with the high rate of unemployment and poverty.. 

“ The law specifies how fathers must assume their responsibilities,” noted Joseph, the head of Vwa Fanm Yo —Women’s Voices in English.

“The process of alimony is expensive; with the problem of unemployment and poverty, this prevents women from attempting this process before the judicial authorities,” Joseph explained. “The measures aimed at forcing men in Haiti to take responsibility are not as effective as in the United States,” she added.

This law mandates that parents take responsibility for their children, and the process for seeking child support falls under the jurisdiction of the court’s dean or an examining judge in a summary procedure.

The personal and financial struggles of single parents

For many single parents, the awareness ‘challenge’ is not just legal but deeply personal.

Adeline Jean, a nine-year-old girl living with her mother in the locality of Dilaire in Ouanaminthe, was a victim of sexual violence by a 22-year-old neighbor while her mother was working. The absence of responsible parents leaves children vulnerable to various risks, affecting their emotional and psychological well-being.

Financial difficulties are another significant issue for single-parent families.

“I work as a teacher in an elementary school and earn 15,000 gourdes, or $120 per month, to care for my two children, whose father does not care for them. This means that I cannot save a dollar for urgent needs,” said Asenie Charles Pierre, a mother of two in Fort-Liberté.

At a recent press conference organized by the Northeast Gender Platform, psychologist Frantzko Etienne discussed the impact of single-parenting on children’s academic success. 

“Children from single-parent families may be more likely to encounter academic difficulties due to lack of support at home, family stress, or other factors related to the single-parent situation,” he said.

Gaining momentum: community support for Women’s Rights

The Northeast Gender Platform, a women’s rights activist organization, that supported the online ‘challenge,’ announced that they had sent numerous letters to the Dean of the Court of First Instance and the Government Commissioner, urging them to enforce the law on parental responsibilities. As the movement gains momentum, women are encouraged to speak out.

Elizabeth Degravier, a lawyer and a member of the Northeast Gender Platform, reminded us that the judicial authorities in the Northeast regions have the tools to enforce these responsibilities. 

“We ask all men to respect the law on paternity, maternity, and filiation, voted and published in 2014,” she said.

Despite the challenges, the movement has garnered support from various sectors, including the media. 

“This movement raises awareness and is about controlling the power of our children, sexual education for women, offering women economic opportunities,” Stanley Joazard, journalist and editor of the online newspaper Ouanaminthe Poste, said.

“Women should not be ashamed to denounce men who do not take responsibility; they should not show that we are complicit in what they do,” said Quelange Decimus, a lawyer and a member of Northeast gender platform.

The post Northeast Haiti Women’s challenge sparks national push for absentee father accountability appeared first on The Haitian Times.

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Northeast Haiti Women’s challenge sparks national push for absentee father accountability was first posted on September 9, 2024 at 3:05 pm.