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

As far back as 1996, Haitian women, at the rate of 70%, have admitted to suffering some form of violence. Whether domestic violence or sexual abuse, Haiti's women are prone to abuse not just from spouses and loved ones, but also from authority figures, as in the cases found in IDP camps. But while the women are vocal about their struggles with abuse, men are largely unwilling to admit to inflicting this kind of suffering, so the numbers are decidedly unbalanced. Furthering the awesomeness of the reality, the men in this initial study were of the opinion that, at times, domestic violence or assault and battery was necessary and justifiable.

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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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