Haiti: UN demands urgent measures against gang sexual violence
Reports of rape and gang rape have increased at an alarming rate since the start of the year. The UN is calling for immediate action.
Sexual violence in Haiti: UN calls for immediate protection of women and girls
The situation in Haiti has "reached a breaking point", declared on Wednesday Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on sexual violence related to conflict. According to news.un.org, the escalation of sexual violence against women and girls, in a context of worsening gang violence, makes immediate measures necessary to strengthen the protection of the population.
Since the beginning of the year, reports of rape and gang rape have increased at a rate deemed alarming. These crimes are concentrated in areas under gang control, where the presence of the state is virtually non-existent.
"These heinous crimes are predominantly concentrated in areas under gang control, where the presence of the state is virtually non-existent. In many cases, sexual violence is used deliberately and systematically to assert domination and punish communities", Ms Patten declared in a press release.
Women and girls are also victims of abductions and murder during gang attacks. Assaulted in their homes or in public spaces, they face a threat that is intensifying: the past eight months have been marked by a spectacular increase in documented cases of sexual slavery.
Deployment of the Kenyan mission and UN sanctions deemed urgent
Ms Patten called for the full deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission, led by Kenya, intended to strengthen Haitian national security forces. She also called for the implementation of UN Security Council sanctions aimed at crippling gang operations, particularly the illicit arms trafficking that fuels these crimes.
Widespread insecurity and the humanitarian crisis are unravelling the social fabric, displacing thousands of people to overcrowded and dangerous shelters. Access to medical care and psychological support for survivors remains extremely limited. The closure of many health facilities, forced to suspend their activities due to insecurity, is worsening the situation of an already fragile system. The impunity enjoyed by those responsible for these crimes encourages their continuation, according to the UN official.
Two specialised judicial units and reopening of Port-au-Prince court
Institutional progress has nonetheless been made. The recent adoption of a decree creating two specialised judicial units, supported by the United Nations — one of which focuses on mass crimes such as sexual violence — as well as the reopening of the Port-au-Prince court of first instance constitute, according to Ms Patten, essential progress towards the restoration of the rule of law.
The Special Representative called on the Haitian government to accelerate the implementation of these units and called on the international community to support these efforts.
"It is essential to obtain adequate funding to enable service providers to respond to the health, psychological and reintegration needs of survivors. Ending impunity is a fundamental step in breaking the cycle of violence and restoring the dignity and security of women and girls in Haiti", Ms Patten concluded.
Source: Google News HT — Port-au-Prince