Our main focus in Haiti is to work with a woman's group to contribute to their efforts to combat the alarming rise of gender-based violence, i.e., rape and assault against women.
Sexual violence has long been a serious issue in Haiti. Rape was not officially criminalized until 2005 (yes, you read that right, 2005!). Before that it was apparently only a crime if you were a virgin. Rape and sexual assault have a long history of being used as a weapon of terror during political repression in Haiti. To get a further idea, take a look at these two reports: Rape in Haiti: A Weapon of Terror
Assaults have increased at an alarming rate in the chaos following the earthquake, especially in the tent camps where thousands of people are crammed together in increasingly volatile conditions. Gangs of armed men roam the camps. Most of the rapes occur at night when girls have to walk through the camp in the dark to go to the toilet. The makeshift shelters themselves are vulnerable -- a tent or a tarp slung over some sticks does not prevent an attacker from entering.
Few victims report their assault because they fear it will further endanger them and their families, as there is little likelihood of their attacker getting caught and they risk retaliation.
Girls as young as three or four have been raped, and (incomprehensibly) even younger. The perpetrators do not discriminate. A 58-year old woman tried to intervene and was herself then raped by several men who pistol-whipped her and fired their guns in the air, warning anyone against trying to stop them or against reporting to the authorities.
These men act with impunity. Because they can.
But who rapes a three-year old? Who are these men?!
Does humanity completely evaporate in circumstances of severe crisis?
Where are the good men? Clearly, the majority of Haitian men do not engage in these horrid actions. But enough of them seem to that it appears to have become epidemic.
It is our goal to reach out to the male population as well to explore positive outlets to express frustration. Some thugs are just rotten eggs, and the problem is that the prisons collapsed in the earthquake and thousands of convicts escaped and are now infiltrating the camps. But many young men are simply discouraged and lost and have potential to be good young leaders – let’s reach them before the gangs get to them!
What is ultimately needed in order for the situation to improve for women in Haiti is a change of attitude. There is a deep-seated culture of blaming and shaming the victim when it comes to sexual assault in Haiti. This is of course not exclusive to Haiti, unfortunately it's the tendency all over the world (including the United States, where I thought we had moved way beyond this mentality, but judging by the recent case of a gang-rape of an 11-year old in Texas and the community's subsequent response, I was clearly mistaken).
In my research leading up to our project, I've come across so many stories of young girls in Haiti who have been raped and subsequently told by the doctor or by the police that it was their own fault, because they wore a short skirt or had a big behind or in some other way must have 'invited' the assault. Girls have resorted to wearing several pairs of jeans under their skirts to make it more difficult for any attackers. Sometimes a girl who reports her rape will be victimized again by the police, because, well, if she just got raped, then she's a slut. It's horrific. No wonder no woman dares turn to the authorities.
Many of these women who have survived sexual assault are at risk of being victimized multiple times, and it runs across generations -- grandmothers, mothers and daughters. You have no sense of safety, because you know it might happen again. And there's nothing that can be done. There's no police, there's no authority, there's nowhere to go.
Exacerbating the situation is the fact that aid organizations have stopped food aid to the camps. They don't want to create dependency and undermine the revival of the local market. Haiti needs to find its way back to a thriving community of commerce and self-sufficiency. Yes, this is true, this is a problem, but the fact is the people in the camps still need the help and desperately so. You can't just cut them off cold turkey!
The result is that many girls and women have been forced to trade sex for food in order to survive. In fact, I've heard stories of aid workers demanding sex in return for the help they are giving out!
Sources of further reading, if what I have said here hasn't outraged you enough:
Amnesty International: Haiti-Sexual Violence Increasing
I recommend this video: Amnesty Int'l: Women Speak Out Against Rape
I recommend this video: Amnesty Int'l: Women Speak Out Against Rape
But not all is lost. There are groups of women who have banded together to fight for justice and take positive steps to effect change. One such group is FAVILEK, which stands for Women Victims Get Up Stand Up!
And the way they want to fight is through the forum of theater! To get up, stand up on the stage and speak out for the world to hear.
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