Violence and economic collapse in Haiti puts women and girls on the brink

The UN agency singled out the situation of survivors of sexual violence and the nearly 85,000 women currently pregnant, of whom some 30,000 will give birth over the next three months. in the midst of the crisis plaguing the country

With an economy on the verge of collapse and essential services collapsing, residents of Haiti’s capital are caught in a hair-raising crossfire caused by escalating gang violence, with growing accounts of murders, kidnappings, rapes and forced displacement.

Among the testimonies collected by the Fund is that of a pregnant woman who lost her husband and all her belongings when she fled her home during the altercations. The affected currently depends on humanitarian aid to survive.

Other reports indicate the rape of nine-year-old women and girls by members of gangs seeking to incite terror and take revenge on other rival groups.

Haiti currently has the highest level of maternal mortality in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The escalation of the fighting in the capital, together with the destruction of many essential services and health facilities after last year’s earthquake in the south of the country, have caused a great increase in humanitarian needs: more than 4.9 million people need assistance, including some 1.3 million women of reproductive age.

17,000 Haitians have fled their homes

Specifically, in the Cité Soleil area, one of the poorest in the Haitian capital and home to more than 250,000 people, it was one of those that suffered the most violent fighting with hundreds of dead, wounded and missing.

During the last months some 17,000 inhabitants of the capital have been forced to leave their homes taking refuge in makeshift camps or in the homes of relatives, while extreme instability worsens.

Fund staff on the ground are helping survivors of gender-based violence to seek legal, psychosocial and medical assistance, distributing health supplies and solar lamps to displacement sites, and evacuating pregnant women with complications for obstetric care. and neonatal emergency.

In addition, hundreds of feminine hygiene kits have been distributed in four centers for displaced people in the capital

Eight mobile clinics, training and… access to health services

The agency plans to deploy eight mobile clinics that will work together with local health centers, guaranteeing sexual and reproductive health services for women and girls trapped in hard-to-reach areas.

It is also training community agents to raise awareness of the risks and protective measures against gender-based violence, as well as the health services and safe recovery spaces available to survivors.

Beyond the immediate response, there is an urgent need for safe access to health services and funds to prevent high levels of unwanted pregnancies and maternal deaths, as well as to protect women and girls from sexual violence.

The agency’s representative in Haiti, Saidou Kabore, stressed that “no woman should die in childbirth. No woman should be the victim of rape or other forms of gender-based violence. UNFPA is committed to improving health and protection and saving lives”.