Stop the Violence Against Haitian Women

Media feeds from the rubbles and ruin of Haiti report that Haitian women are fearing for their safety and their lives.

Quake leaves Haitian women as prey for rapists - March 18 2010

Women and children as young as two, already traumatised by the loss of homes and loved ones in the January 12 catastrophe, are falling victim to rapists in the sprawling tent cities housing hundreds of thousands of people. Sexual assaults are daily occurrences in the biggest camps, aid workers say, and most attacks go unreported because of the shame, social stigma and fear of reprisals from attackers.

Kathy Mangones, UNIFEM's Haiti Program Coordinator: "I refuse to accept that violence against women is inevitable. We must work toward changing negative male culture that harms women and with education, it will."

Rape blights lives of Haiti's quake survivors

Overcrowding and insecurity in the camps housing Haiti's quake survivors have put women and girls at increasing risk of rape and much more must be done to police the makeshift villages effectively, human rights activists say.
Some 1.2 million Haitians are crammed into 460 camps in Port-au-Prince alone, often separated from their neighbours by little more than a hanging bed sheet, forced to bathe in public or to walk through dark passages at night. Other survivors are living on the streets, after losing their homes and families.
Haiti's police and judicial services were decimated by the quake and more than 4,000 prisoners escaped from the main jail. Women have lost their male protectors and many men are jobless and frustrated.

Additional News:

Canada slow to accept rape risk: Immigration board has rejected refugee claims from fearful Haitian women

Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board has been slow to accept what international aid agencies have been saying for years: Women are at high risk for being raped in Haiti. In several recent decisions, the board has turned down refugee claims from Haitian women who fear becoming victims of sexual violence if deported, despite a significant body of evidence that rape has long been a systemic problem in the country and has worsened since January’s earthquake, with criminal gangs roaming camps.

Critics suggest some board adjudicators are falling victim to rape myths debunked by the Supreme Court of Canada more than 20 years ago. In many cases, adjudicators have concluded rape is a crime much like any other, and men and women are equally at risk of being victims.


In Haiti's camps, civilians fight back against sex crimes

A grassroots security movement at Pinchinat is trying to protect women and children, who are vulnerable in the dangerous and poorly lit camp

Haitian Women Demand Role in Rebuilding Their Country

"We can't build a country on aid. We can't run our lives by projects. The women of Haiti suffer disproportionately in the policy environment, and so we must have a policy shift," she said. "We can't afford to have a business-as-usual attitude. We must ensure that in all rebuilding and reconstruction efforts, women's needs, expertise and contributions are recognized."