Community Project: In progress
Community Health Education
, Haiti
Sexual violence is a worldwide phenomenon. It has become commonplace in many countries and almost expected as a normal part of life and in Haiti it is no different. The January 12, 2010 earthquake created an acute surge of sexual violence against women and children within a chronic epidemic. In the 150 days after the earthquake 250 sexual assaults were reported. How many went unreported is only a guess when you consider women will not report for fear of reprisal, futility, lack of information on how to and who to report to among reasons. Survivor sex also emerged as a normal practice for women and children living in refugee camps. Survivor sex is defined as “the exchange of sex in circumstances where those exchanging sex for survival lack other options.” Those engaging in this to provide for their daily needs to survive, endanger their safety and their lives.
Studies have listed many ways of providing assistance to this vulnerable populations including providing safe housing, safe health care, trauma counseling, microloan enterprises, education and awareness as ways to combat the prevalence of sexual violence. Our plan is to send a team from the Fraser Valley in BC made up of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) to provide for a forum to open discussions around the mindset of sexual violence. By allowing for opportunities for community leaders, students and others to talk over the factors that influence the prevalence of violence and how they can build strategies to bring change into the community one person at a time.
There is no way to put a value on knowledge. By providing the community of Grand Goave with information about sexual violence, the predicting factors, adnd the preventative steps that can be taken, there is potential that victims will speak up and change will occur within the community.
