Corruption is a threat to gender equality and presents an obstacle to women’s access to decision-making roles. Where recruitment to public office is determined by political contacts and ‘shadowy’ arrangements, women tend to lose out. In Haiti, the introduction of more transparent and merit-based procedures has helped women sidestep the largely male power networks that had previously been excluding them from being appointed to the judiciary. Consequently, Haitian women are now entering courts as judges in increasing numbers.

Although women's representation in Haiti is generally very low, the number of women judges has increased since the demise of authoritarianism and violent conflict in the 1990s. This case study explores why. I find that “gender-neutral” judicial reforms aimed at strengthening the judiciary have done more for women's judicial representation than explicitly gender-targeted policies, which still lack implementation.

Au cours de la mission des Nations unies en Haïti, une équipe policière spécialisée a été déployée pour la prévention et la sanction des violences basées sur le genre. Ces dernières ayant fortement augmenté suite au séisme de 2010, la Police nationale d’Haïti n’était pas en mesure de lutter contre ce phénomène. Ce rapport traite de l’efficacité de cette nouvelle opération, dirigée et financée par la Norvège, à l’intérieur d’une mission de paix.

Ten years ago, on January 12, at 16:53 in the afternoon, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti. The country was left in shambles. So was the women’s movement. Three of its most prominent leaders lost their lives in the earthquake, and the implementation of gender policies came to a halt. This CMI Brief explores the challenges facing the women’s cause in Haiti after the earthquake and provides recommendations for how to get it back on track.