Rape a Part of Daily Life for Women in Haitian Relief Camps

Even after the aftershocks of the devastating Jan. 12 quake subsided, women’s bodies were still trembling in Haiti. The cause, according to a new report, is the systematic, persistent (and often gang) rapes that have become part of women’s daily lives in camps for internally displaced persons (IDP). The report, entitled Our Bodies Are Still [...]

Goudougoudou: Earthquake Memories from Haiti

The earthquake that decimated various parts of Haiti six months ago actually has an affectionate nickname: Goudougoudou. Everyone uses the term. There are several jokes, from mild to spicy, about what to do in the event of another Goudougoudou, especially while one is engaged in any kind of private activity, from using the toilet to [...]

Haiti’s Women 6 Months Later: Getting Back to Work

Nearly six months after the earthquake in Haiti, those of us involved in the UN humanitarian response are still struggling to provide those who have survived sexual violence with access to services they need–not an easy task, since there wasn’t much in the way of services for them to begin with. At the same time, [...]

Haiti Post-Quake: In Unity We Find Strength

Today is Flag Day in Haiti. This symbol of Haitian freedom was sewn by Catherine Flon–I mentioned her in a previous post–on this date in 1803. Catherine created a symbol that represents the struggles for freedom in Haiti and the heroes and heroines who made it possible. The flag is blue and red, with the phrase [...]

Treating Rape Survivors in Post-Earthquake Haiti

During National Health Week, we might take a few moments to think about health issues of women beyond U.S. borders–such as in Haiti, where I’m stationed with the U.N. humanitarian response. As residents of the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, women in Haiti have always struggled with health concerns, and those have only been [...]

Even One Rape in Haiti is Too Many

I visited a camp for homeless earthquake survivors in Haiti–one of many, but this one stands out. Mud. Torn tarps. Tents branded with an array of aid logos. A few wild dogs on the outskirts. And thousands of people, everywhere. I spoke to so many women: How are you? What are your biggest concerns? Do [...]

Haitian Feminists Celebrate Lost Leaders

What better place to have spent International Women’s Day than in solidarity with Haitian feminists? It was a moving event full of singing, speeches, candles and tears,  marked by profound respect for Myriam Merlet, Magalie Marcelin and Anne Marie Coriolan–feminist leaders who were lost during the earthquake. The event was organized by CONAP, the Haitian women’s umbrella organization, [...]

Helicopters for Haiti

In the past four and a half years, terrible natural disasters have struck two of the most important places in the hemisphere for people of African descent. And the U.S. response to each of these tragedies? As former Democratic congresswoman Cynthia McKinney recently wrote, it was “more like an invasion than a humanitarian relief operation.” [...]

Dispatch from Haiti: Finding Safe Spaces for Women

March 4, Port-au-Prince. Five days into my new life in Haiti, working for the United Nations. Days are so full it feels like I have been here much longer. Working on gender-based violence is always a full-time job, but more so here than anywhere else I’ve been. This work has taken me around the world–to [...]

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