Haiti Insight Volume 8, No. 1

Haitian Women Speak Out Against Violence

By Ismene Zarifis, Port-au-Prince

A popular belief in Haiti, shared amongst many women and men, is that violence against women is not a serious crime. Instead, these human rights violations are too often viewed as an accepted part of societal behavior.

The International Tribunal for Violence Against Women in Haiti, which was held here last November, revealed the depth of the long ignored issue of exploitation against women, including domestic, sexual, and political abuse, even violence against handicapped women.  

Photo Credit: Chantal Regnault

The International Tribunal, widely considered as the first of its kind in Haiti, brought together more than 600 participants and at least 24 women's, popular, and human rights groups to discuss issues such as the failure of the justice system to prosecute crimes of violent acts against women; the lack of  appropriate police procedures to investigate sexual harassment cases and the need to work with parliament in reforming laws that discriminate against women; the necessity to dramatically increase social services to women in need; the responsibility to provide nonsexist education; and the importance of sensitizing all sectors of society to the human rights principal of equal rights.

The tribunal was organized by Kay Fanm, a Haitian women's non-governmental organization. NCHR was a co-organizer and was represented by Thelusca Louis, who also served as a tribunal judge. Other participating Haitian organizations were M'ap Viv, Haiti Solidarit Internationale, and them Platform des Organisations des Droits de l'Homme. International Organizations from Canada, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Rwanda, and Uganda also participated.

A Charge Against the HNP

The tribunal heard some 20 women from throughout the country who testified anonymously about the abuses that they have been forced to endure.  One of the complaints raised during the emotional presentations was the negligence of the Haitian National Police (HNP) and the justice system to investigate charges of sexual abuse. One witness said after repeatedly going to her local HNP precinct and asking for protection from a man who was sexually abusing her, officers finally suggested that she contact the local justice of the peace because they were 'tired' of seeing her case.

Another dramatic moment occurred when a woman came to a tribunal session and reported that she had been raped in Port-au-Prince while the tribunal was in session. She explained that she had decided to come to the tribunal after listening on the radio to the testimonies of other women. Her words made it clear that many Haitian women are afraid to speak out due to fear of their attackers, as well as society's negative view of women who have been raped.

Following the testimonies, three panelists -- Sarah Decosse of Human Rights Watch, Alda Facio, a Costa Rican jurist, and Myriam Merlet, an independent Haitian feminist -- presented an analysis of the cases and stressed the importance of sensitizing individuals and communities to the inalienable rights of women.

A team of judges then presented a list of recommendations on how Haiti can work to eliminate violence against women. They included: educating citizens to consider rape a crime, not an act that brings disrespect to its victims; permitting abortion in cases of rape, incest, and health risks to the mother; educating judges on violence against women, emphasizing that these acts are crimes that require appropriate judicial remedies; and deploying a specialized police unit to handle cases of violence against women, as well as providing training to all HNP personnel on how to receive complaints of sexual and domestic abuse.

The judges went on to announce that recommendations such as the formation of a new HNP unit would be submitted for legislative action. Tribunal participants also organized a protest march to parliament where the recommendations were presented to lawmakers.

Before the three-day tribunal ended last November 26, Max Eliber, the director general of the Ministry of Justice, called for the forming of a coalition that would work to achieve the tribunal's objectives. Seventeen grassroots organizations now make up Groupe Initiative Contre lese Violence faites aux Femmes. The coalition is also lobbying the government to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Torture and is pushing to make the concept of equal rights for women a priority in the work of the Senate Commission on Justice Reform.

A coalition public awareness campaign became part of this year's Carnival celebrations in Port-au-Prince when pamphlets promoting women's rights were passed out on the streets.

National Penitentiary Protest

Since the November tribunal, there have been other public events in the campaign for equal rights, including a Haitian-Dominican colloquium on violence against women that was held last January. Kay Fanm also held a sit-in outside the National Penitentiary last January 15 to protest the potential release of two accused rapists, Daniel Drivel and Celidieu Dorsainvil. In one case, the 14-year-old victim was pregnant and lost her baby during the attack.

Besides campaigning publicly for women's rights, Magalie Marcelin of . Kay Fanm said the coalition is dedicated to working alongside the Préval Administration, parliament, and local authorities in realizing the tribunal's objectives.

"We have a big hope for the establishment and maintenance of the coalition," said Yolette Jeanty of Kay Fanm.

Zarifis is a NCHR research associate.

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