Women and girls face the worst part of this crisis. Gender-based violence (GBV) as group violation is rampant, particularly in Prince Port-Au Capital, and is exacerbated by precarious conditions in the displacement camps.
However, recent financing cuts have closed the sexual and reproductive health centers and GBV services. Displacement and insecurity make the services that are often too difficult to access.
Christian Vovi, the Humanitarian Coordinator of the UN Reproductive Health Agency (UNFPA) in Haiti, has been working in the Caribbean island nation since 2022.
He sat down with UN news Anna O’Donnell, ahead of the World Humanitarian Day to discuss this crisis and its perspective as a humanitarian in the field.
Christian Vovi, humanitarian coordinator of UNFPA in Haiti.
Remote work
“Sometimes there is the possibility of an attack, so We are forced to work from home.
This situation has limited our ability to go to the field to see the affected people, to meet with women, observe the situation in the camps and communities, so security is a barrier to us sometimes.
We can organize meetings virtually, meet with women online and with the partners to monitor and monitor activities.
Increase in GBV cases
Continuous displacement creates new GBV needs to which humanitarian actors must respond, despite limited financial capacities. THere is a continuous increase in the number of GBV reported cases.
In some of the cases we handle, we hear how gang members arrive at the community, burn houses and then violate a mother or a father in front of the family.
When you talk to women, they are desperate since they fight to even ensure the most basic needs.
Because women do not have access to financial resources, there has been an increase in cases of prostitution.
People gather in a place for displaced people in Port -au -Prince, Haiti.
Desperate for services
Protection services are urgently needed. We have more than 100 sites for displaced people, but only 11 or 12 sites are covered with GBV protection services.
There is also the problem in terms of refuge, because when we have many families living together in a small room, there is a higher risk of GBV.
Urgent financing needs
The UNFPA distributes dignity kits, which contain articles that women need, and provides other goods and services, but it is not enough, we need more.
In Haiti, there are now more than one million displaced people. Since 26 percent are women of reproductive age, we need to mobilize millions of dollars so that we can meet their urgent needs.
In 2020, the United States provided about 65 percent of humanitarian funds for the response plan in Haiti. But with the US fund cuts, we can no longer provide services to 25,000 women and girls in certain displacement sites.
The United States also financed 100 percent of the Kit after the violation acquired since 2023, so now, our actions of these kits are very low.
A woman says she was raped while fleeing gang violence with her six children and while she was four months pregnant.
UNFPA work despite the limitations
Despite these financing and access limitations, the UNFPA and its partners continue to remain in Haiti.
UNFPA leads the GBV coordination mechanism. We continue to provide remote support for GBV cases through the direct line to ensure that cases can access services despite security limitations.
We continue to ensure that if the movement is limited, affected people can access services, psychosocial support and information about the services available through the Telephone Direct Line.
Call to action
The international community and donors must fill the great financing vacuum in the Haitian humanitarian response plan.
The Haitians Think that your situation is careless Because they believe that the International Humanitarian community has all assets and funds to stop violence and help affected people.
The government, diplomats and the international community should now advocate for a clear end of current violence and stop retaliation against women and girls in Haiti.
It is important to act now because for me Tomorrow is too late regarding the humanitarian need and living conditions of women in the displacement sites.. “