Recently Hurricane Matthew pummeled Haiti with brutal wind and rain, leaving the country and its people reeling from yet another disaster. Not yet fully recovered from the horrific 2010 earthquake, Haiti now faces difficult years ahead rebuilding infrastructure, homes, and livelihoods.
An estimated 1.4 million Haitians need urgent assistance. As humanitarian donors and agencies respond, lifesaving cash-assistance and the support which follows to rebuild livelihoods must take into account the specific needs, risks, and capacities of women and adolescent girls.
After nearly three decades of research we know that women and girls are exposed disproportionately to risks when crisis hit, including gender-based violence. We know that even in a year without catastrophic shifting tectonic plates or severe tropical storms, women and girls in Haiti struggle to make a living for their families and face risks as they do.
Humanitarians – ask women and girls what their risks are as they queue at Western Union kiosks, as they navigate markets to purchase and sell goods, as they travel to factories, and as they return home from their farms. Ask women and girls how they protect themselves. Work with them to enhance these protection strategies. Make sure that programs designed to help are inclusive, safe, and mitigate gender-based violence.
WRC has worked with partners to develop guidance and tools to help: CLARA: Cohort Livelihoods and Risk Analysis Guidance and Tools and Guidance, Tools and Training for Protection in Cash-Based Interventions