NOREF - Haitian women: life at stake in the camps

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Ketty Luzincourt

Ketty Luzincourt is Chief Executive Officer and founder of the Haitian Institute of Peace which focuses on strengthening learning and research on conflict resolution and peace studies. Her research areas include alternative dispute resolution, intrastate conflicts and the role of education in exa...
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Haitian women: life at stake in the camps

Ketty Luzincourt , 25 May 2010

Summary

The Haitian earthquake of 12 January 2010 exacerbated the economic insecurities and physical vulnerabilities already endured by many Haitian women. Now, thousands of women are surviving perilously in often unsafe camps. This imposes new vulnerabilities as they seek to sustain their roles as caregivers, economic actors and community builders.

The effects of the disaster include making it even more difficult for vulnerable women to get access to basic services; exposing them further to exploitation and abuse; posing issues of sexual and domestic violence arising from their temporary housing conditions; and rendering the problems of displaced women with disabilities, and pregnant women, even more acute.

The health and sanitation issues which follow from the scarcity of clean water in the camps compound these effects. Key stakeholders must focus on the gender dimensions of the earthquake’s aftermath, and promote humanitarian aid programmes and economic opportunities that can help empower Haitian women in the camps.