NEW YORK - February 7 - Today, MADRE and the International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict are launching a petition to raise international support for a ground-breaking push to address violence against women in Haiti.

Haiti’s government is now considering a legal reform measure that would be a landmark in efforts to address violence against women and provide a model for nations striving to stop rape. Crucially, it prohibits and punishes all sexual assault, including marital rape.

Today’s petition launched by MADRE and the International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict echoes the call of Haitian women’s rights activists, who have spent years leading an on-the-ground effort to promote passage of the legal reform.

The launch of this petition follows on the heels of a workshop in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to raise awareness and rally support for the passage of the legal reform by the Haitian Parliament this spring.

The workshop served as a forum for knowledge-exchange with international and local experts. Rashida Manjoo, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, was a featured panelist.

Passage of this legal reform would represent a huge step forward for gender equality in Haiti. Click here to read the text of the petition.

Available for interview:

Yifat Susskind, MADRE Executive Director, works with women’s human rights activists from Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, creating programs to address violence against women, economic development, climate change, armed conflict and more.