When the storm passes: linking natural disasters to sexual violence and trafficking against women in Haiti. An analysis of the legal frameworks and policies that aim to protect/promote women’s and girls’ rights in Haiti, and how Haiti, being a disaster-prone country, mitigates their vulnerability to sexual violence/GBV and trafficking

Abstract

This thesis argues that natural disasters in Haiti function as risk multipliers that intensify pre-existing structural inequalities, increasing women's vulnerability to sexual violence and trafficking whilst exposing the limitations of domestic and international legal frameworks intended to protect them. Using a qualitative socio-legal case study of Haiti, strengthened by feminist and vulnerability theories, the research draws upon existing literature, UN reports, international conventions, and disaster frameworks to examine how weak institutions, gang violence, poverty, and recurring disasters combine to heighten women's vulnerability in post-disaster contexts. The methodological framework is based on a secondary desk-based study, supported by secondary interviews providing perspectives on why sexual violence persists. The study also compares how the “law on paper” translates into practice, assessing whether international frameworks to which Haiti is a party and its domestic laws are being implemented and upheld. The findings demonstrate that disasters do not independently create sexual violence and trafficking but instead amplify existing vulnerabilities through displacement, insecure housing, cultural norms, gender inequality, and limited access to education. The research concludes with tailored legal, policy, community-based, policing, and educational recommendations aimed at strengthening the protection of women in Haiti's disaster context. KEYWORDS: Gender based Violence/ CEDAW/ Natural Disaster/ Haiti/ Trafficking/Sexual Violence/Risk Multiplier