Prostitution in Haiti

There is a propensity to blame the rise of the most vice-like aspects of Haiti's current culture on the January 12, 2010 earthquake. Prostitution is one such vice often named consequence of the earthquake. The truth is, prostitution had already been a problem in the country, but had been quickly exacerbated by the loss of life and livelihood that the catastrophe caused.

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Many children were left without parents after the earthquake. Not only did this rob them of their main source of sustenance, but they also suffered the loss of much needed guidance and the hope and insouciance to be gained from having parents to fend for them.

It is a story oft repeated among the teenaged members of the prostitution rings that frequent locales like the main park in Port-au-Prince and the streets of Champs de Mars. Left without resources, some as young as 8 years old, with none of the requisite skills to compete for a job in the working world, these girls turn to the age-old profession and become objects of pity and ridicule, sacrificing their dignity, innocence and often, their self-respect, for food.

The aid quickly given after the earthquake quickly dried up, and many girls found themselves with additional mouths to feed after being orphaned. They make their living selling sex and make their homes squatting illegally, forever facing the threat of eviction from their makeshift homes. Their situation is desperate, but has become so prevalent, such an accepted consequence of life following the earthquake, that, what had once been an inconspicuous trade, plied in the dead of night, is almost an accepted part of society now, open for business all day, every day.

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Read more: Earthquake, 2010 Haiti earthquake, child, Prostitution, Business & Finance

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