Sophia Martelly, the First Lady of the Republic, took part in the inaugural ceremony of the Office of the National Coordination of Women Affairs (CNAF), this Tuesday, April 3, 2012, at the Police Academy of Frères, on the occasion of the National Day of Haitian women.

Created in November 2005, with the support of the MINUSTAH and some international organizations, the office of the National Coordination of Women Affairs must ensure gender issues within units of the PNH, awareness all staff of the institution and mentor the female police officer n the fight against discrimination, ensure the evolution of the genre and encourage the recruitment of female staff within the National Police of Haiti.

In the presence of high-ranking members of the Haiti National Police (PNH), of various representatives of international organizations, of the MINUSTAHand institutional partners of the PNH, the Divisional Commissioner Marie Louise Gauthier, and Head of this Bureau, while recognizing the subtlety of the mission of CNAF, promises to work to combat all forms of discrimination and violence against the Haitian woman.

Sophia Martelly which has always been involved in the process of resolution of problems related to women's emancipation in Haiti, believes that this approach of the PNH to establish an organ of defense and protection of women's rights, is a victory in this struggle of the Haitian woman, for the full exercise of his fundamental rights.

"The right of women and girls is fundamental and non-negotiable" she said, recalling that the Haitian society, with this new inclination aiming the involvement of women in the predominant activities of community life, continues its course towards the establishment of a genuine rule of law, with a police institution who is a defender of the rights and liberties, both of man than the woman.

The Office of the First Lady of the Republic is convinced of the mission of the National Coordination of Women Affairs (CNAF) and believes that through this assistance that it will provide to the Departmental and local coordination and to the cells of Police stations responsible of cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV), the National Police of Haiti will set the tone, the example of a Haitian institution evoted and concerned about the status of women in Haiti.

HL/ HaitiLibre