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Haitian women in new danger from rapists warning
posted on: Feb 2 2010 12:54 by Royston. Viewed 1194 times.
Reports from police indicate that women and young girls are now being raped in makeshift camps set up in the capital after the disaster, camps that they now call home.
"With the blackout that's befallen the Haitian capital, bandits are taking advantage to harass and rape women and young girls under the tents," national police chief Mario Andresol said.
"We have more than 7,000 detainees in the streets who escaped from the National Penitentiary the evening of the earthquake...It took us five years to apprehend them. Today they are running wild."
With more than a million left homeless after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake, countless people are living in the capital's makeshift camps and susceptible to violence, particularly women and girls.
What's worse is that the quake has left the Haitian police depleted of its forces 70 police officers are dead, nearly 500 are still missing, and another 400 are wounded leaving fewer police officers to protect the most vulnerable survivors, women and girls.
So fearful of being attacked, women in some camps have taken matters into their own hands.
According to ActionAid women in one of the camps have organized a system where volunteers stand guard over the women and girls at night as they sleep. Then in the afternoons, police officer visit the camp so residents can report rapes.
Myra De Bruijn of ActionAid in Haiti said: "Women are always in danger after natural disasters such as earthquakes and we are already hearing reports of rape. Currently these are isolated incidents but they highlight the fact that women are at risk and must be protected."
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