According to a report by human rights group, Amnesty International, sexual violence and rapes have increased since the earthquake in Haiti a year ago, on 11 January 2010.
With many of the Haitian population still living in makeshift camps, there is an environment where attacks on girls and women are frequent, Amnesty says, with attacks carried out by “predominantly armed men who roam the camps after dark.”
In Amnesty International‘s report, entitled “Aftershocks: Women Speak Out Against Sexual Violence in Haiti’s Camps” it is claimed that more than 250 cases of rape were reported within the first 150 days following the 11 January quake.
Speaking on the revelations, Gerardo Ducos, an Amnesty International Haiti researcher, said:
“Women already struggling to come to terms with losing their loved ones, homes and livelihoods in the earthquake, now face the additional trauma of living under the constant threat of sexual attack.”
“For the prevalence of sexual violence to end, the incoming government must ensure that the protection of women and girls in the camps is a priority. This has so far been largely ignored in the response to the wider humanitarian crisis.”
More than 50 rape victims spoke to Amnesty for their report. To read the full report, see the following URL: http://www.amnesty.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_21131.pdf
There is no security for the women and girls in the camps. They feel abandoned and vulnerable to being attacked. Armed gangs attack at will; safe in the knowledge that there is still little prospect that they will be brought to justice. Watch our video here and help us raise international awareness to end violence against women in Haiti.