The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, Wednesday ended a visit to Haiti stressing that the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country needs urgent support amid immense suffering.
UN Stéphane Dujarric, speaking at the daily news briefing, told reporters that prior to his departure, he visited a centre that provides support for women and girls who are survivors of gender-based violence.
Dujarric said that at the Kay Fanm (Women’s House) support centre, he met women who survived brutal sexual attacks and lost their families and homes in the violence.
The organization, which is supported by the UN Population Fund, is providing essential medical services and psychosocial support, Dujarric said, adding “I think recently we told you of the horrific level of gender-based atrocities going on in Haiti.
“Yesterday, he visited the Hôpital Universitaire La Paix, the only public hospital in Port-au-Prince able to handle complex cases that remains open and accessible to people in need,” Dujarric said, noting that the facility has been forced to reduce its services, including maternal care.
He said at a displacement site in the capital where many have sought safety from rising insecurity, Fletcher listened to people whose lives have been destroyed by brutal violence. Living conditions are extremely difficult, with many families displaced multiple times in search of safety.
“The Under-Secretary-General stressed that people there want healthcare, they want clean water, they want education for their children, and they just want a chance to rebuild their lives,” Dujarric said, quoting Fletcher as saying “the world must do better for them”.
Fletcher also visited a youth centre, where he met young people once trapped by violence who are learning new skills.
While there, he also met with many government officials, including the Prime Minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, and Laurent Saint-Cyr, the President of the Transitional Presidential Council. He also met humanitarian partners and members of the diplomatic community.
Source- CMC
