Minister Pédrica Saint John at CSW Headquarters in New York
New York, 10 March 2026.- At the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Haitian Minister for Status of Women and Women's Rights, Pedrica Saint Jean, called for increased access to justice for women and girls in Haiti.
Speaker on Tuesday at the ministerial round table of the Commission on the Status of Women on the theme « Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls »The Minister highlighted the obstacles that continue to hamper women ' s rights in the country.
Representative of Haiti to several ministerial delegations, she stressed the central role of an accessible and equitable judicial system to ensure equality between women and men. « Without accessible, inclusive and equitable justice, the rights of women and girls remain fragile and inequalities continue to breed », she said.
The holder of the Ministry of Women's Status and Women's Rights (MCFDF) also referred to the economic, social and institutional obstacles faced by many Haitian women when trying to assert their rights. Gender-based violence, persistent discrimination and some flaws in the justice system were, she said, major challenges requiring coordinated responses.
However, the Minister recalled some initiatives undertaken by the Haitian authorities, including capacity-building of judicial actors, community awareness campaigns and the establishment of specialized units to deal with cases of gender-based violence.
These challenges are part of a context of increased vulnerability for women and girls in Haiti. According to an evaluation conducted by UN Women, more than 300,000 displaced women and girls currently live in camps that often lack essential infrastructure, such as lighting or security. These conditions significantly increase their exposure to sexual violence and assault.
At these sites, more than half of the population is made up of women and girls, who remain particularly vulnerable to insecurity and precarious living conditions.
In addition, data from Gender Based Violence Sub Sector indicate that between January and June 2025, 4,482 incidents of gender-based violence were reported in Haiti. Of the survivors, 78 per cent are women and 14 per cent are girls. Sexual violence accounts for 57 per cent of the reported cases, often related to conditions of overcrowding and insecurity in camps for internally displaced persons.
Through this intervention at CSW70, the Haitian authorities reaffirmed their commitment to promote a more inclusive and gender-sensitive judicial system. For Minister Pedrica Saint John, improving access to justice for women and girls is an essential condition for strengthening the protection of their rights and promoting the emergence of a more equitable society. However, it remains to translate these commitments into concrete reforms and mechanisms that are truly accessible to victims, in a country where insecurity, institutional weakness and judicial slowness continue to limit the effectiveness of proclaimed rights.
R.J.
