UN Women: Being amongst the most affected by the earthquake, women’s and girls’ meaningful participation and leadership are crucial to an effective and successful humanitarian response
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Port-au-Prince, Haiti— Following the 7.2 earthquake that struck Haiti on August 14, UN Women Haiti and CARE International, in partnership with the Ministry of Women's Affairs and Women's Rights, the General Directorate of Civil Protection, and the Humanitarian Country Team’s Special Gender Task Force, developed a Rapid Gender Analysis that aims to provide humanitarian actors with recommendations to address the needs of women and girls to ensure their rights and needs are at the core of recovery and reconstruction efforts.
The report credits the lack of potable water as one of the most critical impacts on women. After the earthquake, 60% of communities in the three departments of Sud, Grand'Anse, and Nippes were left without access to this service in the southwest of Haiti. Being for the most part traditionally in charge of family care, women seem to be particularly impacted by water scarcity. Additionally, the findings suggest that approximately over 40% of women are heads of household, and not being able to share these tasks further worsens their situation.