Written by: Jaimie-lee
Pledges of $100 million from Canada and $300 million from the United States were made.
And countries like Kenya, Jamaica, Canada, Belize, and Barbados are set to participate in security-based activities to counter the rapid emergence of gang-related violence in Haiti.
Meanwhile, Haiti’s political and humanitarian crisis, at its worst point in decades, continues to affect the most innocent and vulnerable in the most ferocious of ways.
Caught in the crossfire of territory battles, women and girls endure horrific sexual violence by armed, politically-affiliated gang members who are bent on terrorizing opposing groups.
Attempts to flee the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, often lead to gang rape or death.
Additionally, during just six months in 2023, UNICEF recorded almost 300 confirmed cases of abduction and kidnapping of mainly women and children in the country. The well-funded gangs reportedly carry out abductions for tactical control and financial gain.
Now used as bargaining chips, those who escape are left with unthinkable trauma to heal from.
In a place already ridden by poverty, increasingly plagued with disease, and constantly hit by natural disasters, help for Haiti is crucial.
Projects like Cité Soleil which focus on relieving the effects of sexual and gender-based violence through relocation, medical assistance, counseling and economic funding are making headway, empowering women and girls in dire circumstances.
The Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) is also doing its best to circumvent the restriction of basic necessities due to violence at Haiti’s ports.
Our hearts break for the Haitian women and children who now face a living hell in their own country. The most innocent and undeserving experiencing the most heinous face of humanity is hard to stomach.
As we spread awareness of the situation, we at Global Foundation for Girls implore those in-the-know to do the same.
Go here to see our current active campaigns and to assist in stopping gender-based violence.