On Sunday, December 15, 2024, at the Montana Hotel, the Ministry for the Status of Women and Women's Rights (MCFDF) organized a workshop on the Constitutional revision with a view to gathering the opinions of women's organizations in Haitian society on this reform.

More than sixty women's and feminist organizations from the metropolitan area of ​​Port-au-Prince participated in person, and more than thirty organizations from the ten geographical departments of the country participated by videoconference.

Also, Pedrica Saint-Jean, the Minister for the Status of Women, stressed that women, who represent more than half of the population in Haiti, have a central role to play in democratic construction, in the fight for social justice and equality. According to her, this is an opportunity to make their voices heard and ensure that women's rights are protected and promoted as part of this constitutional revision.

For the Minister, the Constitutional reform must necessarily go through :

- The explicit integration of gender equality in the Constitution. She calls on organizations to ensure that equality between women and men is enshrined as a fundamental principle ;

- The guarantee of women's economic, social and political rights. On this point, the revision must include clear provisions to ensure women have equitable access to resources, opportunities and positions of power ;

- The fight against all forms of violence. The Constitution must recognize the importance of protecting women against violence, whether physical, economic or institutional.

According to the Minister, the constitutional revision offers a historic opportunity to strengthen gender equality in Haiti through the quota of at least 30% of women, which is an important starting point; its effectiveness depends on the adoption of implementing laws and the principle of reserved seats guaranteeing women's access to assemblies.

"Together, we must ensure that this constitutional revision is not a missed opportunity to enshrine in the fundamental law the foundations of a more just, more equitable society that is more respectful of women's rights," she insisted, encouraging organizations to mobilize their members and partners to advocate with the Constitutional Working Group (GTC) in order to take their recommendations into account.

HL/ HaitiLibre