Brew News: Rapes On The Rise In Haiti

Adding insult to injury in Haiti, rapes are on the rise as that country’s capital city continues to recover (using that word loosely) from January’s devastating earthquake.

Women and girls (as young as 2) are reportedly being raped (some, gang raped as well) in alarmingly high numbers as many residents continue to live in tent cities as a result of the quake. Those tent cities have no lighting and there’s really not much security to speak of from the country’s police force, so when night falls, attackers target women. Adding to concerns about security are the 7,000 prisoners who escaped their jail cells during the earthquake. So, you can imagine the utter mess going on there.

Rape was already a major problem in Haiti anyway, but now there are increased concerns about higher STD and HIV rates. One in 50 Haitians are infected with HIV, the highest infection rate in the Western hemisphere.

The media may have turned off its spotlight on Haiti but the country is still in need. If you want to donate to the relief effort, click here.

Photo: UN/Marco Dormino
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