On January 10, 2011, MADRE, the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) and the IWHR Clinic of CUNY School of Law released a report on sexual violence in Haiti one year after the earthquake, entitled Our Bodies Are Still Trembling: Haitian Women Continue to Fight Against Rape.
The catastrophic January 12, 2010 earthquake took the lives of some 200, 000 people and left approximately 1.5 million Haitians homeless. Forced to live in overcrowded displacement camps without adequate lighting or security, women and girls have faced an epidemic of sexual violence. Despite tireless efforts by Haitian women in the camps, incidents of rape continue to rise. Over the year, deteriorating conditions in the camps, a deadly cholera outbreak, political upheaval and persistent impunity for rape have actually increased insecurity and the risk of sexual violence for women. Moreover, the Haitian government's recently issued plan for transitional housing may take years to implement. Quite simply, there is no end in sight for the dangerous conditions in which Haitian women and girls live.
Read the press release accompanying the report »
Read recent blog entries about the one year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti »
