HAITI / SEX CRIMES

UNICEF says that sex crimes have increased amidst the harsh living conditions in the camps following Haiti's earthquake. The agency is working with American Refugee Committee (ARC) staff members to teach Haitian women and girls about their rights on gender-based violence - a term that encompasses domestic violence, forced prostitution, sexual assault and rape. UNICEF

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:03:08
• Production Date: 22 October 2010
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND - UNICEF
• Subject Topical: HUMAN RIGHTS; CRIMES; CRIMINAL JUSTICE
• Geographic Subject: HAITI
• MAMS Id: U101022c

Description

STORY: HAITI / SEX CRIMES
TRT: 3:08
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: CREOLE / ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: SEPTEMBER 2010, PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI

Shotlist

1. Pan left, Terrain Acra camp
2. Med shot, man near temporary housing
3. Wide shot, people walking with buckets
4. Med shot, boys sneering at camera
5. Wide shot, Terlena Day Isaac walking into her house /shack
6. SOUNDBITE (Creole) Terlena Day Isaac, American Refugee Committee:
“You can see what I did to get inside. There’s no lock, there’s nothing – anyone can get inside. It’s simply not safe for me.”
7. Wide shot, people carrying things on their heads
8. Close up, older woman with scarf
9. Close up, women sitting against gate
10. Med shot, young man by red gate
11. Wide shot, women sitting
12. Close up, woman in white hat
13. SOUNDBITE (English), Sunita Palekar, UNICEF gender-based violence specialist:
“It’s difficult for everyone – men, boys, women and girls. Men don’t have access to livelihoods. They aren’t able to provide for their families. But this also increases the opportunities for violence to take place, because of this kind of stress – and women and girls are particularly vulnerable to that.”
14. Wide shot, boys with buckets walk up hill
15.Wide shot, little boy leaning against wall, joined by little girl
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Francoise Gruloons-Ackerman, UNICEF Representative Haiti:
“We are working with the government right now and we want to bring it at a high level. So we have to put a system in place where the reporting system will be clear, and it will be supported by the police and others and the court. This is one. If you report, you have already gained something.”
17.Close up, hands of teacher
18.Wide shot, teacher
19.Med shot, student
20.Wide shot, teacher
21.SOUNDBITE (Creole) Mavina Estenovil, Teacher:
“Can you tell me what physical violence is? I need some details on physical violence.”
22. Med shot, student
23. Wide shot, teacher listening to student
24. Close up, student
25. Wide shot, teacher listening to student
26.SOUNDBITE (Creole) Mavina Estenovil, Teacher:
“Physical violence is when they beat you up, or crush you down, hurt you – all these are physical violence.”
27. Wide shot, boy playing with hoop
28. Wide shot, teenage boy on bicycle
29 Med shot, boy walking down a hill
30. Wide shot, women and small girl in camp

Storyline

This is Terrain Acra – a camp for some of the 1.3 million people left homeless by Haiti’s earthquake and typical of scores of other camps.

Living in camps are difficult, but for women and girls, it can be a nightmare, because of the threat of sexual assault and rape.

Terlena Day-Isaac works with UNICEF’s partner, the American Refugee Committee. She knows first hand how frightening it is to be in the camps, because she lives here.

SOUNDBITE (Creole) Terlena Day Isaac, American Refugee Committee:
“You can see what I did to get inside. There’s no lock, there’s nothing – anyone can get inside. It’s simply not safe for me.”

Sexual assault and rape are long-standing problems in Haiti. Rape was not considered illegal until 2005. Domestic violence is also endemic.

UNICEF gender-based violence expert Sunita Palekar says that with the earthquake, came feelings of powerlessness for many Haitians – especially men. And in a misdirected effort to feel “in charge” of their lives, some men could take their frustrations out on females.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sunita Palekar, UNICEF gender-based violence specialist:
“It’s difficult for everyone – men, boys, women and girls. Men don’t have access to livelihoods. They aren’t able to provide for their families. But this also increases the opportunities for violence to take place, because of this kind of stress – and women and girls are particularly vulnerable to that.”

UNICEF is working with authorities to improve security –through practical measures like putting better lighting in the camps and increasing patrols of United Nations peacekeepers.

It’s also working with the government to strengthen the police capacity to protect women and girls who sometimes risk their lives to report crimes against them.

SOUNDBITE (English) Francoise Gruloons-Ackerman, UNICEF Representative Haiti:
“We are working with the government right now and we want to bring it at a high level. So we have to put a system in place where the reporting system will be clear, and it will be supported by the police and others and the court. This is one. If you report, you have already gained something.”

And there’s education. Mavina Estenovil is instructing women on what actions constitute violence against women – and why it’s wrong.

SOUNDBITE (Creole) Mavina Estenovil, Teacher:
“Can you tell me what physical violence is? I need some details on physical violence.”

The student’s answer is vague – that violence is when bad things happen. And that’s not good enough for Estenovil.

SOUNDBITE (Creole) Mavina Estenovil, Teacher:
“Physical violence is when they beat you up, or crush you down, hurt you – all these are physical violence.”

UNICEF is also conducting educational campaigns for men and boys – to help change the common misperception that masculinity must be linked to violence against women.