Army calls for greater protection for women and children in Haiti
BY IHQ INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS
The Salvation Army has called for greater humanitarian access and stronger protection for displaced women and children in Haiti during an intervention at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Speaking during an interactive dialogue on the human rights situation in Haiti, The Salvation Army’s United Nations Representative in Geneva, Markus Hofer, urged the international community to strengthen humanitarian access, support coordinated survivor-centred services and ensure accountability for serious human rights violations.
The dialogue, led by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, also included William G. O’Neill, the UN Designated Expert on the situation of human rights in Haiti.
A crisis affecting women and children
Drawing on The Salvation Army’s more than 75 years of service in Haiti, Markus highlighted the devastating impact of armed violence on communities, particularly women and children.
More than 1.5 million people are displaced, many living in overcrowded sites with limited access to basic services. The statement also drew attention to widespread sexual and gender-based violence and the urgent need for justice and protection for survivors.
“Children are also bearing the consequences,” said Markus. “Schools have closed, access to healthcare and essential services has deteriorated, and children associated with armed groups remain at risk of further harm and stigma.”
He asked the panel what concrete action the international community should take to ensure adequate support reaches those most at risk.
In response, Mr O’Neill highlighted the need for greater expertise and resources for locally led judicial bodies, as well as significantly more safe centres for children recruited by armed groups.
He said Haiti currently has just one centre, with capacity for around 300 children, providing psychological and social support. At least four or five additional centres are needed to respond adequately to the scale of need.
Advocacy rooted in frontline experience
The Human Rights Council statement builds on a report submitted in July by The Salvation Army’s International Social Justice Commission (ISJC), working in collaboration with the movement’s Caribbean Territory, as part of Haiti’s Universal Periodic Review.
The Universal Periodic Review examines the human rights record of every UN Member State and provides recommendations aimed at strengthening the protection and fulfilment of human rights.
Through its engagement with the United Nations and its presence alongside communities around the world, the ISJC continues to bring frontline experience into international discussions and advocate for the voices and rights of people who are most vulnerable.
As we celebrated the International Day of the Girl on 11 October 2026, the intervention underlines the ISJC’s continuing advocacy for girls and other children whose rights and safety are threatened by conflict, displacement and violence.
Watch Marcus Hofer deliver The Salvation Army’s statement here.
Read The Salvation Army’s submission on Haiti to the Universal Periodic Review here.
