This week, Amnesty International (AI) denounced in its annual report the violence against women and girls in Haiti, particularly sexual violence, and the legislators' attempt to approve openly discriminatory laws against LGBTI people (Lesbians , Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersexed).

Last April, the government introduced comprehensive reforms to the Penal Code in Parliament, which contained new provisions to combat sexual violence, including the criminalization of marital rape, cases that are not always reported, AI said.

The report cites figures from Médecins Sans Frontières, which indicates that between May 2015 and March 2017, 1,300 victims of sexual and gender-based violence were identified in its clinic "Take my hand" in Port-au-Prince. 83% of victims were women under 25, 53% of whom were under 18 and 11% of those under 10 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21520-haiti-news-zapping.html

Moreover, in its report Amnesty International also denounced the decision of the Haitian Senate to vote in August 2017, a bill discriminatory against the LGBTI community https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21704-haiti-flash-the-senate-passes-a-law-against-the-gay-community.html , pending ratification by the Chamber of Deputies.

IH/ iciHaiti