Crisis in Haiti and Women's Rights

Two years after a 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti’s capital of Port-Au-Prince, on Tuesday, 12 January 2010 the nation is still trying to rebuild their country and their lives.

It was the most devastating earthquake experienced on the island in 200 years with a death toll of approximately 316 000 and with hundreds of thousands more injured and displaced.

But the recovery and reconstruction process has been slow and approximately half a million Haitians are still homeless and living in displacement camps with violence and disease threatening the lives of thousands.

The international community displayed an outpouring of solidarity in the form of rapid mobilization of aid, search and rescue missions and disaster relief. Feminist organizations also rallied to mobilize and support the victims of the tragedy.  But the task was huge and since the disaster, half of the rubble has been cleared and according to the United Nations, 4.3 million people have received food aid and 1.5 million people have received shelter, clean water and health kits.

At AWID we have supported feminist contributions to relief efforts in Haiti by fostering awareness about what women's organizations are doing on the ground in Haiti and in other parts of the world. This information contributes to strengthening solidarity though news bulletins and information available here on our website.

This special section on our website is designed to provide you with a wide range of information on how the crisis in Haiti has impacted women and women's rights and how you can act in solidarity with the women, men and children of Haiti.