Gang violence worsens conditions for women in Haiti, says UN

The UN warned this Friday of the deterioration of the living conditions of the women and the girls in Haiti, due to gang violence, which has forced the displacement of thousands of civilians, mostly women, and greatly hindered access to basic social services, further worsening the precarious situation in this country.

“Today, too many women and young people in Haiti are victims of indiscriminate violence committed by armed gangs”says the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Caribbean nation, Ulrika Richardson, in a statement issued for International Women’s Day.

Fight to end violence against women in Haiti and invest in them “It is a ‘sine qua non’ condition to guarantee a just, prosperous and peaceful society”, Richardson added.

The total number of internally displaced persons exceeds 313,901, according to a report from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) last December, which also indicates that of them, the 56% They are girls and women.

Sexual violence against women and girls “It is used as a weapon of war, intimidation, territorial control and domination,” denounced the UN in a context in which the operational presence of organizations that work to prevent gender violence in centers for internally displaced people has been reduced or suspended and most service points of this type are closed for reasons security and access.

“To achieve a lasting improvement in the security and socio-political situation of the country, it is imperative to invest in women by promoting their participation in the different management bodies of the country, including at the political level”stated, for her part, María Isabel Salvador, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in Haiti.

If the paralysis of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area continues in the coming weeks due to the current violence crisis, almost 3,000 pregnant women could be deprived of access to essential health care, and nearly 450 of them could potentially suffer obstetric complications. fatal without qualified medical assistance, according to the UN.

Some 521 survivors of sexual violence could be without medical care by the end of March.

The capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, is subject to a serious situation of terror imposed by armed gangs, aggravated by the events of the night of March 2 to 3 in the civil prison of Port-au-Prince and the Croix-des Bouquets prison , attacked by gangs, killing police officers and freeing more than 3,000 prisoners.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry is in Puerto Rico after a failed attempt to return to his country on Tuesday following a trip last week to Kenya to discuss the deployment of a multinational force in the country.

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