Haiti's Women's Ministry Marks International Day of the Girl Child

On Sunday, October 11, 2026, marking the International Day of the Girl Child, Haiti's Ministry of the Status of Women and Women's Rights (MCFDF) reaffirmed its commitment to protecting girls, preventing early unions, and ensuring their full development, according to icihaiti.com. The day was observed under the theme "End Child Marriage, Invest in Girls. Protect their Futures," which the Ministry said calls for collective action to guarantee every girl the right to education, safety, health, and a freely chosen future. The Ministry noted that Haiti's security, economic, and social crisis exacerbates the vulnerability of many girls, citing forced displacement, poverty, interrupted schooling, and gender-based violence. "In situations of hardship, adolescent girls are exposed to early unions and informal domestic arrangements—practices that can undermine their rights, health, and autonomy," the Ministry said. It stressed that no economic or social hardship can justify depriving a girl of her childhood, education, or freedom to choose her own future, and called on public institutions, international partners, civil society organizations, and families to make girls' rights a reality in every community.