The United Nations’ fifth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 5) aims to achieve gender equality through the empowerment of women and girls. It involves addressing concerns such as gender-based violence, maternal health, economic opportunity and representation in government.

In Haiti, the achievement of SDG 5 and other development goals has been hindered by decades of political instability, social unrest and natural disasters. Some of the main barriers to women’s equality in Haiti include widespread sexual violence and limited access to economic opportunities. 

SDG 5 Indicators in Haiti

Despite progress in some areas, the Sustainable Development Report asserts that major challenges remain for Haiti’s achievement of SDG 5. This assessment is based largely on the following indicators:

• Maternal Health – Haitian women have poor access to maternal health services and limited agency over decisions regarding their own health care. As a result, Haiti has a lifetime maternal death risk of one in 67, the second highest outside of Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Education – Gaps in educational attainment between boys and girls have narrowed in recent decades, as school attendance has increased overall. However, adult men are more likely to have completed secondary and tertiary schooling, reflecting women’s historic disadvantage. In 2017, 26.1% of men in urban areas had pursued higher education compared to 14.9% of women.
• Employment Opportunities – Relative equality for women in terms of labor force participation has been achieved. However, gendered segregation within the labor market confines women to certain low-wage industries, such as retail, trade and textile manufacturing.
• Representation in Government – The Haitian Constitution requires that women hold at least 30% of posts in public administration. Haiti’s Parliament, last active in 2019, failed to meet this quota, with women holding 2.5% of lower house seats and 3.6% of senate seats.

Seven male members made up the Transitional Presidential Council, which originated in 2024 to reestablish democracy amidst the ongoing power vacuum and rise of armed gangs.

Haiti’s Current State: Displacement and Sexual Violence 

Since the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, armed gangs have gained control more than 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince and major roads throughout the country. As of October 2025, gang violence had forcibly displaced 1.4 million people.

In this climate of violence and instability, women and girls are especially vulnerable. In makeshift camps, a lack of security puts women at risk of sexual violence. Armed gangs often use rape as a tactic of fear or coercion. Of the 5,857 reported cases of sexual assault in 2024, 64% were attributed to armed gangs and 61% of victims were internally displaced persons.

Survivors of sexual violence lack support and legal recourse, as systems for addressing sexual abuse in the camps are lacking or nonexistent. U.N. programs currently in place aim to train police officers to prevent sexual violence.

Moving Forward: UN Efforts and Haitian-Led Organizations

The United Nations currently has a number of programs in place to make progress towards SDG 5 in Haiti. Current UN Programmatic Interventions aim to address sexual and gender-based violence in Haiti, protect and empower displaced women, and enable women’s political participation.

Several Haitian-based organizations, many of them women-led, are working to address these issues on the ground. 

Nègès Mawon, a female-founded organization, has been working since 2015 to provide support to survivors of sexual violence, including medical care, legal support, economic assistance and psychological services. The organization’s safe houses provide a refuge for women escaping domestic and gang violence. In reference to the ongoing state of violence and instability in Haiti, co-founder Pascale Solages stated, “Women and girls are the first victims of this crisis.” In 2024, Nègès Mawon provided support to 1,800 women and girls. 

Another Haitian-based feminist organization is Marijàn, which originated in 2020 to promote gender equality and defend the rights of women and girls in Haiti. The organization’s program on gender-based violence provides psychological, legal and medical support to survivors. Marijàn uses education programs, community mobilization and political advocacy to further its mission of justice and dignity for women and girls in Haiti.

Although many challenges remain and Haiti is not on track to achieve SDG 5 by 2030, the efforts of United Nations agencies and Haitian-based NGOs have the potential to address the current humanitarian crisis in Haiti and its disproportionate effects on women.

– India Kaz

India is based in Seattle, WA, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash