UN Women supports mobility efforts in Haiti to protect women and girls against gender-based violence

In recent years, reports of sexual crimes in Haiti show a persistent upward trend in these violent acts against women and girls. Sometimes used as weapons of control, these attacks leave lasting physical and emotional scars not only on the survivors but also on Haitian communities.  In June 2024, 13 cases of sexual violence against minors were reported by the Brigade for Minor Protection in the main town of South Department; while the Ministry of Gender registered 8 cases of sexual violence in June towards minors; 21 cases were reported by the Institute of Wellbeing between April to June in the same department.

As part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen gender-responsive initiatives across Haiti, within the framework of the Spotlight Initiative, funded by the European Union, UN Women provided equipment and materials to ten departments in the Haitian National Police's Gender Cells.

The provision of this equipment and material is a critical step towards enhancing the Haitian National Police's operational capacity to respond timely to gender-based violence survivors' needs, offering proximity services while at the same track the perpetrators when needed.

The computers and tablets, motorcycles, and conference room equipment, among many other equipment handed over, will enable the Gender Cells to perform their roles more effectively and efficiently.

The handover ceremony took place in Port Au Prince on July 25th, in the presence of the Minister of Gender Affairs, Marie Francoise Suzanne, and USAID representatives, strategic partners in the fight against gender-based violence in Haiti.

During the ceremony, the Minister of Gender Affairs paid tribute to the memory of the three-year-old girl who was raped, then murdered, in Lascaobas, in the Center (10) department.

She made a solemn commitment that this crime would not go unpunished. She reiterated the Transitional Presidential Council and the government, led by Prime Minister Garry Conille's determination to promote an equal society where every woman and every girl can aspire to live in peace, respect, and dignity.  

The Chief of Staff of the Haitian National Police, Inspector General Smith Peyo, was highly appreciative of the donation while expressing the police institution's commitment to combat violence against women and girls at the community level, stating that the issue is one of the institution's main priorities. He recognized the police unit in charge of women's affairs and gender issues weaknesses, in coordinating units to fight against sexual crimes and the brigade for the protection of minors in effectively responding to emergencies.

UN Women's representative in Haiti, Goretti Nduwayo, stated, "We are confident that the equipment and material provided to the Haitian National Police  will contribute significantly to advancing gender equality and empowering women and girls throughout Haiti."

Nduwayo highlighted that the donation was provided within the framework of the Spotlight Initiative, which contributed nearly 2 billion Gourdes from the European Union and almost 140 million Gourdes in contributions from the United Nations, that have been implemented since 2017 with satisfactory results. This programme has allowed UN Women and other UN Agencies to intervene in the capacity building of the Haitian National Police.

UN Women's representative in Haiti reiterated the commitment to support the Haitian National Police and vowed to continue working with other partners in the framework of the Spotlight initiative because, despite the convincing results, much remains to be done in Haiti.

UN Women will continue collaborating with the Haitian National Police, supporting their work on violence prevention, community violence reduction, and disaggregated data collection and management on gender-based violence.