Prostitution - Haiti Observer Blog

With the news out of Dajabón stating the eventual deportation of at least 12 women of Haitian heritage arrested in the Dominican Republic for prostitution, the question of prostitution in Haiti comes to mind. The women claim they crossed the border to support themselves and their families back in Haiti, and with their own market all but dominated by prostitutes from the Dominican Republic, this isn't a farfetched justification.

Since the 1940's Dominican prostitution rings, comprised of the fairer-skinned and longer-haired women from Dominica have cornered the market, especially in Petionville, often to the exclusion of Haitian prostitutes who face such poverty. Many turn to the profession because of the stark reality of a lack of money; many Haitians live on an allowance of less than one dollar a day. It is then no wonder that some have crossed the border into the Dominican Republic, seeking to earn some of the wealth there and filling the small gap made by the Dominican prostitutes who live and work in Haiti.

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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.

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.

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With the weak economy and poor living conditions in Haiti, many women, including teenagers, have settled to becoming prostitutes just to earn. Prostitution is illegal in the country but this does not stop women from getting paid for sex. Since the 1940s, prostitution rings have been active in the country and it only got worse as time went by and catastrophes hit the Caribbean nation.

According to a report in 2005, Haitian children were being trafficked in the Dominican Republic, where they were forced to work as slaves or prostitutes. Many of these children were orphaned, while others can no longer be supported and fed by their parents. As a result, they are brought to the Dominican Republic and sold to families and individuals looking for a child laborer. There were reports that the trafficked children have been physically abused too and some were so traumatized they can not recall how they got to that situation.

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