In Haiti's chaos, rape without punishment was norm

[seemslikeadream]

"It was worse than I have ever seen," said Yolette Jeanty, director of the women's rights group Kay Fanm. "At least before, there were some ways to get justice."

Rape has always carried a certain level of impunity in Haiti. Even the concept of rape is often limited to young victims.

"The adult women, they don't consider it rape," Jeanty said. "There is this mentality that if you're not a virgin, it's not a rape."

By law, it is considered a crime against honor - a squandering of virginity that can often be settled with a payment to the victim's family.

"Sometimes the judge will even suggest as a reparation that the rapist marry the girl," Jeanty said.


more
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0520HaitiRape20-ON.html

[CharlesGroce]

1. that's terrible.

These societies need the UN to help them rise up out of this sort of living with education through providing them with the resources to get it done. Oh wait, that was another time, when the UN could actually help needy countries without the US vetoing everytime.

[nodehopper]

2. this is a harrowing article

And to think that Haiti is going to be a "forgotten" place like Niger and DRC and Sudan and so many others.

Rape is a war crime and should be prosecuted under genocide legistature. Goddamn this fucking administration.

[seemslikeadream]

3. Haiti: Marines arrest woman leader on Mother’s Day

U.S. Marines invaded the home of renowned entertainer and community leader Annette Auguste after midnight May 9, arresting and detaining everyone present including four great-grandchildren, TransAfrica said, citing reports from Haiti.

While the others were later released, Ms. Auguste, known as So Ann, was interrogated throughout the night without counsel or anyone present except herself and the Marines. She was then transferred to the Haitian National Police where she was still detained late last week.

The Marines breached her gate with explosives, shot and killed the household dogs and ransacked the home, searching for non-existent weapons.

TransAfrica said it believes Ms. Auguste was arrested because “she is a prominent leader of Haitians who understand and object that the right-wing elite has returned to Haiti behind the guns of convicted criminals and death squad thugs, with the blessing of their right-wing allies here in the United States.”

more
http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/5264/1/216