UUSC Partner Working to End Gender-Based Violence in Haiti

In the wake of humanitarian crises — whether it be war or natural disaster — women are often at increased risk of violence. In July, Madre and other collaborating organizations released the report Our Bodies Are Still Trembling: Haitian Women's Fight Against Rape. This report detailed the alarming, and growing, prevalence of sexual violence against women in displacement camps throughout Port-au-Prince following the January 2010 earthquake. As part of its earthquake response, UUSC is working with the grassroots organization KOFAVIV (Komisyon Fanm Viktim pou Viktim, which translates to the Commission of Women Victims for Victims) to support survivors and prevent further gender-based violence.

As of March 21 — little more than two months after the earthquake — KOFAVIV outreach workers had tracked 230 cases of rape in 15 camps (and there are hundreds of camps throughout Port-au-Prince). As Agathe Jean Baptiste, UUSC's on-the-ground representative in Haiti, recently relayed, gender-based violence (GBV) is rising. KOFAVIV has female camp agents living in many of the camps around Port-au-Prince who are available to talk to women who have survived GBV. "Women trust them better than some camp committees that are run by men," says Jean Baptiste, alluding to the many reporting challenges that are exacerbated in a disaster situation.

KOFAVIV offers an array of services to survivors. They work to connect women to medical care, help them navigate the justice system, and assist them in accessing resources to attend school. They also provide psychosocial support in the form of meetings with a psychologist, art-therapy sessions, and solidarity groups. Recognizing that GBV can affect many aspects of a survivor's life, they also address the economic impact through livelihood training for young women, so that they have the tools to help them move forward.

While these services are vital, KOFAVIV is also focused on preventing GBV, not only treating survivors. Along with a growing group of women's organizations, they are working to increase lighting and reliable police presence in the camps as well as provide women with whistles and separate shower and toilet facilities. In addition, they are providing education about GBV in the camps and working to forge partnerships with men as allies.

Currently, UUSC is supporting KOFAVIV in planning a campaign around November 25 — the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women — which will culminate in a march in Port-au-Prince. KOFAVIV will gather together women's organizations to learn more about each other's work, exchange ideas, and raise awareness about GBV.

KOFAVIV was founded in late 2004 by a group of women from low-income neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince who were raped during the instability of the 1991-94 military dictatorship. Two of the founding members, Eramithe Delva and Malya Villard, were political activists who survived sexual assault as well as the murder of family members. Since its formation, KOFAVIV has honored survivors by providing for their medical and psychological needs and increasing education about GBV.

Jean Baptiste remarked on KOFAVIV's view of working with UUSC: "They say that we are not just a funder, we are part of them." Drawing on experience working with grassroots organizations to end violence against women in Darfur, UUSC is partnering with KOFAVIV toward a vision of a Port-au-Prince, a Haiti, and a whole world in which women are assured freedom from violence.