After the Quake: Haitian Women on Sexual Violence in Displacement Camps

As Haiti’s earthquake toppled buildings, it also toppled social structures that provided Haitian women some protection against sexual violence. Rape was widespread before January 12, but the hundreds of thousands of women now living on the streets or in camps, often without their family and neighborhood networks, are more vulnerable than ever. Featuring testimonies from three courageous young Haitian women, our video focuses on the rape epidemic after the earthquake. It was shown to several members of Congress and helped persuade them to lobby USAID to allocate more money to anti-gender-based violence efforts. These efforts resulted in the authorization of significant money in USAID grants to fight gender-based violence.