Human Rights Obligations in Post-Disaster Haiti

Recovery from the consequences of extreme natural disaster requires adequate rule of law. To maintain peace and prosperity, effective systems for providing security must be implemented as a society recovers from disaster. As sexual crimes increased in the wake of a devastating earthquake in 2010 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Haiti has been in a unique position to strengthen its protections of women by establishing effective rule of law. Rule of law can be achieved by ensuring access to criminal and civil justice, fundamental rights, and safety, while also holding the government accountable to the people for corruption and misuse of its powers. However, in the aftermath of these disasters, there has not been an effective response to the ensuing outbreak of criminal activity. Crime, especially in the nation’s capital of Port-au-Prince, affected a majority of citizens, even before the earthquake; however, women and girls are particularly susceptible to victimization due to misogynistic norms. Even as human rights violations in the form of gender-based violence increased post-disaster, victims were deprived of access to justice, and the rule of law deteriorated.