Friday, April 1st, as a prelude to the national day of the Haitian women's movement (April 3rd), women gathered at the Ministry of Tourism for a great talk around the rights of women, of rape and sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as and gender equity, subjects in turn led by the Minister for the Status of Women and Women's Rights Sofia Loréus and by two Ministry officials, Ms. Marie Carline Laurenceau and Mr. Jean Gérard Jean.

This day was also an opportunity to recreate links and highlight the women of the Ministry of Tourism, many of whom were honored with plaques and flowers for their remarkable work within the administration.

In her speech, Minister Loréus declared it "[...] The defense of women’s rights is not just a job. It is a mission for which we fight with, by our side, women leaders and feminist and women's organizations as well as grassroots groups. 36 years after the birth of the national movement of Haitian women, progress has been made. But they are currently threatened by multiple multidimensional crises, the persistence of social norms unfavorable to women and the trivialization of gender-based violence. We still have a long way to go to achieve equality and empowerment of Haitian women and girls [...]" citing as examples the main fundamental achievements in the fight for the emancipation of Haitian women:

The creation of the Ministry for the Status of Women and Women's Rights;

The 2005 decree-law which recognizes rape as a crime;

The vote and the promulgation of the law on Paternity, Maternity and Filiation;

The vote and the promulgation of the law on the quota of at least 30% of women in decision-making spaces;

The adoption of the Gender Equality policy.

IH/ iciHaiti