Women in Haiti suffer from an epidemic of domestic and sexual violence

Another study on violence against women was conducted, first in 2000, then again in 2005 and 2007. These studies showed a vastly reduced percentage of women admitting to suffering from violence, at only 30%. The reason for this dip, however, was because the definitions for what amounts to violence had been narrowed from the initial 1996 study. The 2007 research uncovered that one-third of the women in the study believed, along with the men, that violence was sometimes justifiable.

What is worse, victims of violence are often discouraged from seeking recourse from the law because they believe the justice system has no ability to fix the situation. Also, the way in which the authorities process reports of sexual assault leaves much to be desired as women are often asked what provocation they provided to their attackers. This allows for the continuing of a vicious cycle in which women get hurt and often return to the homes they share with their abusers, too afraid or too jaded to seek help.

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