Two years after the earthquake that devastated Haiti, the drastic increase in sexual violence in displacement camps has been well documented. But another face of the epidemic has emerged as a pressing issue: the sexual exploitation of displaced women and girls, states a new joint report.
Credit:UN
Displaced women and girls have lost family and community members, along with the protection and safety nets those relationships offered, it adds.
“Because of poverty and a lack of economic opportunity, many women and girls are forced to trade sex for shelter, money or even a single meal. In many cases, those demanding sex are the very people who hold themselves out as representatives of the people—members of camp committees.”
The report highlights “current barriers to addressing sexual exploitation and offers recommendations to protect the human rights of women and girls engaging in transactional sex.” It also offers a legal analysis of the protections available for women and girls who have experienced a wide range of human rights violations associated with sexual exchanges.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 