Living in Fear

Haiti's terror didn't end when the ground stopped shaking. Reports of rape and sexual violence have been very popular after the January 2010 earthquake, that killed more than 220,000 people and displaced almost 25% of the entire country. In the days following the disaster, camps were set up to provide shelter for more than a million displaced Haitians. But these "tent cities" have been far from ideal. Children in Nepal live in prisons with their parents.



Nearly 370,000 people remain in displacement camps, according to the U.N. And gruesome reports of violence, inadequate health care and substandard living conditions have painted a picture of horror and hopelessness. In one study, published in January by the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice , 14% of households reported that at least one member of the household had been a victim of sexual violence since the earthquake. And 70% of households surveyed said they were now more worried about sexual violence.


Residents have cited lack of lighting, long walks to the bathroom, and flimsy tents as some of the issues putting females at risk of attack. Many females also are on their own for the first time. Women and girls were left to fend for themselves in camps. People lost that sense of community protection.



High numbers of adolescent girls are engaging in what they call "transactional sex" for shelter and food. Many of those interviewed claimed they had never sold sex before, but the earthquake had left them no option. In many of those women, as well as those who have been raped, are becoming pregnant, raising fears about rising maternal health issues. Before the earth quake, Haiti was the most dangerous place to be pregnant in the Western Hemisphere: the lifetime risk of dying during childbirth there is 1 in 47.



Nearly 370,000 people remain in Haiti displacement camps, according to the U.N.


KOFAVIVand other groups are working to help young girls and women, giving them safety, support and training so they can make money and not have to sell themselves. Better lighting has been installed in some displacement camps. More than 10,000 military and police personnel are now helping to provide security throughout the country, and hundreds of U.N. peacekeepers have been assigned to specifically work with the Haitian National Police.


In the last two years, there has been a change in the way rape is prosecuted. More women are reporting the crimes, and more rapists are being prosecuted.


In the first two years after the quake, sources in Haiti had estimated there were few, if any, rape convictions. But this year there have already been more than 60 convictions for sex crimes in Haiti, according to the National Human Rights Defense Network.



http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/18/world/americas/cnnheroes-haiti-rape/index.html?hpt=wo_t5