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Women's Rights
POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR AN EFFECTIVE & EQUITABLE TRANSITION
The Policy Framework for an Effective and Equitable Transition (KR/EN/FR) lays out the well-established and legally binding principles of equality under Haitian and international law alongside best practices for successful transitions. It calls for the material inclusion of women in leadership and the centering of concerns specifically affecting women and girls. Among the Framework’s central recommendations are that women must hold, at minimum, 30% of all leadership positions in the transition, and that their inclusion must reflect empowered authority and the priorities of Haiti’s women’s movement.
“Haitian women and girls are entitled to dignity and equality as a matter of Haitian law, which also includes international human rights protections. When women are silenced, half the population is denied justice and this effort at transition towards democracy and human rights is undermined. Gender equity is not negotiable – it is a fundamental human right and a central pillar of an effective transition.”
– Rosy Auguste Ducena, Attorney for the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH). “
Over 135 organizations from Haiti, the Caribbean, Africa, the Americas, and Europe have endorsed the Framework. See the full list as it continues to get updated here.
Haiti’s transitional government has to date failed to live up to its legal obligations to Haiti’s women and girls: no women have a vote on Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) or were interviewed for the interim Prime Minister post. The transitional government’s most recent appointments to a Commission on criminal reform – 1 woman out of 9 seats – is a worrying sign that it will continue to fail Haiti’s women and girls without a deliberate policy shift. Such a shift is not only essential to fully respecting the rights of women and girls in Haiti, but also to maximizing the transition’s chance for success for all Haitians.
“We have seen the transitional government react to our June press release calling out its outrageous failure to give women a voice by appointing some women to positions of authority, but without a corresponding centering of priorities for the women’s movement. And that is why it was so important for this Framework to set out the guiding principles and recommendations essential for the inclusion and empowerment of Haiti’s women and girls and their rights. We will not be mere tokens.”
-Pascale Solages, Co-Founder and General Coordinator for Nègès Mawon
You can help by:
→ Reading and endorsing the Policy Framework
→ Sharing the Framework and asking organizations in your network to join the over 135 groups that have already endorsed it
→ Watching our July 24 Press Conference launching the Framework below
Check back as we continue to update this page with more action items!
Read our Press Release HERE and watch our July 24 Press Conference launching the Framework, featuring Nègès Mawon’s Pascale Solages, Haitian Women’s Collective’s Carine Jocelyn, and IJDH’s Sasha Filippova