Sunday, February 7, 2010

Girls as young as 12 have been attacked as sexual violence plagues Haitian quake survivors

In the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, women and young girls are suffering a rising number of rapes and sexual assaults. So widespread are the reports – and they include the rape of a girl of 12 by her rescuer after she was pulled out from the rubble – that emergency measures are now being taken. Displaced men and women patrol some camps with makeshift arms to ward off attackers; girls wear jeans under their skirts for protection if they go out after dark; temporary women-only health centers are being set up; and non-governmental organizations try to deliver aid to dangerous neighborhoods where women are too scared to go out in search for food.

Related:

Haiti protesters denounce aid corruption, hoarding

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