FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January 22, 2026

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e: jessica.myers@mail.house.gov

c: 202.913.0126

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), joined by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Co-Chair of the House Haiti Caucus, Rep. Stacey Plaskett (VI), Co-Chair of the Congressional Caribbean Caucus, Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06), Co-Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and colleagues representing the largest Haitian American communities in the country, Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) and Frederica Wilson (FL-24) announced the introduction of the Protect Haitian Women and Girls Resolution, as the volatile climate and deepening crisis in Haiti continue to escalate as a result of the country suffering through a series of devastating, catastrophic crises and the rise of gang activity throughout the country.

Forty-eight Democratic members joined the resolution protecting and advancing the rights of women and girls in Haiti, which is essential to Haiti’s transition and long-term stability. The measure condemns widespread gender-based violence, affirms the importance of women’s leadership in Haiti’s transition, and reaffirms U.S. commitments under the Women, Peace, and Security Act amid the administration ending Temporary Protective Status for over 350,000 Haitian Nationals on February 3, 2026.

“The dire conditions faced by Haitian women and girls today are difficult to put into words. From widespread sexual and gender-based violence, to their near-total exclusion from the political power they need to overcome their desperate situation, the daily devastation they are experiencing cannot be overstated, and must not be ignored,” said Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke. “As we stand on the brink of Haiti’s TPS expiration on February 3rd, which would condemn hundreds of thousands more to the same chaotic environment that too many are already suffering, my colleagues and I are proud to introduce this resolution that makes our humanitarian and moral obligations clear. In a just and decent nation, these words would not have to pass through the halls of Congress to be accepted as a universal truth. But that is not what America is today under the brutal thumb of the Trump administration. And so, we will continue to call for justice for our Haitian sisters, and we will continue to demand the immediate extension of TPS for our Haitian neighbors. This president should know that the longer our calls go unanswered, the louder they will become.

“There’s still a significant amount of progress that needs to be made in Haiti with respect to gang violence, sexual violence, and gender violence. It is inhumane to send hundreds of thousands of people back to a situation that places them at risk,” saidHouse Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “I strongly support Congresswoman Clarke’s resolution and the call to extend TPS beyond its scheduled expiration in early February. Haitians who have been here for years pursuant to TPS have contributed to and improved the livelihood of communities all across the country. It’s time for Congress to act to fix our broken immigration system and recognize the value of hardworking immigrants.”

“We commend Congresswomen Clarke and Shaheen for their leadership and urgency in this critical resolution. Women and girls in Haiti, some as young as five years old, are facing a widespread and intensifying crisis of sexual violence, with armed gangs using sexual violence and other gender-based violence as tools of terror, control, and territorial domination. Survivors often lack access to healthcare, psychosocial support, or legal recourse because police, courts, and justice systems are severely under-resourced or non-functional, and many crimes go uninvestigated in gang-controlled areas, allowing violence to continue with near-complete impunity. This is not a political debate, but a human crisis. And as Haitians in the United States face the looming termination of Temporary Protected Status, the reality confronting women and girls in Haiti makes one thing clear: any response that does not center protection, accountability, and dignity is a failure,” said Patrice Lawrence, Executive Director of UndocuBlack Network.

“Women’s rights are not optional or secondary, but are essential to Haiti’s peace, justice, and stability, ” said Robert Bank, President and CEO of American Jewish World Service. “With this resolution, Rep. Yvette Clarke is leading a powerful call to conscience, one that rightly centers the leadership of Haitian women. We cannot speak of promoting democracy in Haiti while ignoring the systemic discrimination and violence committed against the nation’s women and girls. Haiti’s future depends not only on accountability, but on equity and the full inclusion of women in every aspect of Haiti’s rebuilding.”

“Haitian women and girls have endured violence, displacement, and political exclusion while their leadership has been systematically denied. Their bodies have been treated as tools of terror, and their voices shut out of power. This resolution affirms a fundamental truth: there is no peace, no democracy, and no justice in Haiti without women at the center of decision-making and survival,” said Guerline Jozef, Executive Director of Haitian Bridge Alliance.

“Inclusive security is the key to lasting security, but too often, international interventions in Haiti have sidelined Haitian women’s leadership,” said Yifat Susskind, Executive Director of MADRE. “This isn’t just ineffective security policy: it is an erosion of Haiti’s sovereignty. Haitian women have a right, guaranteed under national and international law, to shape the future of their country. International efforts at stabilization – including the US-backed gang-suppression force – must reinforce the self-determination of Haiti and reflect, instead of ignore, commitments to women’s political leadership.”

“The proposed Resolution represents an extraordinary measure of solidarity with Haitian women and girls and with Haitian civil society,” said Sasha Filippova, Senior Staff Attorney for the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. 48 Members of Congress are saying that the U.S. government, Haiti’s international partners, and Haiti’s transitional government are violating women’s rights, and in the process undermining their own efforts to establish peace and stable democracy in Haiti. The Representatives have also aligned their calls for immediate measures with those that have been urged by Haitian women’s rights and other civil society leaders – including what almost 200 organizations have put forward through the Policy Framework for an Effective and Equitable Transition.” 

 “The BAI works with victims of sexual violence every day; and we are seeing horrific abuses and an absence of effective responses, which violate the rights of women and girls who are the primary victims,” said Me Kattia Dorestant-Lefruy, lawyer and Co-Director of the Haiti-based Bureau des Avocats Internationaux. “We applaud the Resolution’s strong language calling for the prevention of sexual violence and for effective responses and adequate services for any victims, including meaningful investigations and prosecutions.”

 “Securing women’s empowerment, addressing women’s distinct needs, and confronting all forms of gender-based violence are not marginal to tackling Haiti’s security and governance crises,” said Pascale Solages, co-director of Haiti-based Nègès Mawon. “They are central and indispensable to securing lasting peace and prosperity in Haiti. But we are instead seeing women left out of leadership; we are seeing women’s distinct needs and safety being treated as marginal or ignored altogether; and we are seeing elections being planned without consideration of gendered political violence and structural exclusions that, if unaddressed, will entrench and deepen inequality and instability in Haiti. This Resolution recognizes the urgent imperative to change course and promises the weight of 48 U.S. Congress Members behind our advocacy.” 

 “Working with women-led organizations throughout Haiti has taught us the importance of ensuring that women are engaged as equal partners in the ongoing development of Haiti,” said Carine Jocelyn, founder of the Haitian Women’s Collective and the Fund for Haitian Women. “For Haiti to secure a peaceful and prosperous future, Haitian women must be among policy makers, government leaders, civic leaders, and agents of change, and they must have equitable access to financing. We applaud Congresswoman Clarke and the 47 cosponsors of this Resolution for uplifting the rights of Haitian women and girls.”

Video from the press conference can be viewed here. 

Click here for the full text of the Haiti Women and Girls Safety and Security Resolution. 

###