As part of the International Women's Day, the European Union and its Member States represented in Haiti (the embassies of Germany, Spain, France and the United Kingdom) join forces to pay special tribute to all women of Haiti, who are the "poto mitan" of the Haitian society and to show their support to make advance the recognition of their primary role in Haiti.
"The economic and social development of the country, as well as the deepening of democracy, will only be achieved by enabling women to express their full potential to contribute. To this end, it is important to consolidate the conditions for effective gender equality and to fight relentlessly against the violence of which women are victims every day.
Significant efforts have been made by the Haitian State in this context. Among these, Haiti has signed and ratified the International Conventions Against Discrimination and Violence against Women. The Constitution also provides for equality before the law and the free exercise of civil rights without distinction of sex, as well as a quota of at least 30 per cent of women in all sectors of national life and more particularly in the public administration.
In practice, however, much remains to be done to move from formal equality to real equality : violence against women often remain endemic and affect society as a whole, the budget of the Ministry of Women's Rights and the Status of Women represents only 0.1% of the state's budget while the Parliament has only 4 elected members (3 deputies and 1 Senator). The education of girls is a prerequisite for their emancipation, as the birth control and maternal and child health [...]
On the occasion of the celebration of International Women's Day, the European Union and its member states reaffirm their commitment and determination to continue to support the State, the social and economic actors and the Haitian society as a whole in their efforts to combat discrimination based on gende [...]"
