UN Women

Published purpose

This initiative aims to reduce violence against women during the elections in Haiti. The goal is to overcome the lack of representation of women in Parliament and promote their political empowerment so that they can take part in the decisions that affect the country’s development and stability. Gender-based electoral violence is considered a primary obstacle to women holding leadership positions and their full participation in the electoral process in Haiti. To bring about structural and behavioural changes, the United Nations Women initiative proposes an approach focused on three areas: (1) a legal framework on violence against women during the elections; (2) governance for the principal institutions involved in the election process (the Provisional Electoral Council, the Haitian National Police; Justice; the political parties); (3) the macho attitudes and sexist and aggressive language against women during elections.