Thursday, October 29, the Haitian Government, the United Nations System and the European Union launched the "Spotlight Initiative" in Haiti, a multi-year global partnership between the European Union and the United Nations, with funding of 591 million US dollars, which aims to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls by 2030.

Haiti is one of 6 recipient countries in the Caribbean region along with Belize, Jamaica, Grenada, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, which has total funding of $ 59 million.

The Spotlight Initiative in Haiti, which benefits from a budget of 14 million, will be implemented between 2020 and 2022, aims to protect women and girls against family violence such as rape, incest, sexual harassment (physical and moral).

Remember that in Haiti, more than one in three women say they have suffered violence from their partner, husband, husband or fiancé.

29% of women of childbearing age have suffered physical violence; in 45% of cases from their intimate partner; in 37% of cases, this violence generates serious injuries.

12% of Haitian women have already suffered sexual violence, of which about a quarter are girls aged 15-17 years.

31% of women also suffer or are exposed to several types of violence and psychological pressure such as excessive jealousy, limitation of contact with the outside or the family or strict control of movement, with the ultimate objective of exercising control on them.

In Haiti, the Spotlight Initiative proposes to mobilize efforts to specifically address one of its most prevalent and invisible forms: domestic violence. In doing so, the Spotlight Initiative mainly targets groups of women and girls facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, such as women with disabilities, those living with HIV/AIDS, girls outside the school system, female workers, domestic workers and migrants, inhabitants of rural areas or precarious urban areas, or those who face situations of sexual exploitation, among others.

The Spotlight Initiative intends to drive change towards a society more conducive to respect for the rights and dignity of women. A comprehensive and detailed strategy on prevention will be developed in collaboration with the Government and civil society at the national, departmental and municipal levels. Community members will be involved at every stage of the implementation of the Spotlight Initiative's activities, fostering ownership and increasing sustainability.

HL/ HaitiLibre