Madam Saras Particularly Vulnerable to Sexual Violence

I note in Beyond Shock that rural women including the Madam Saras (Haitian market women) are extremely vulnerable to sexual violence. That is a finding reported to me recently by documentary videographer and filmmaker Patty Borns, a photographer at the Miami Herald and an family friend who also returned to Haiti after 2010 and has been following the lives of Madam Saras who crisscross the country buying and selling agricultural and other products.

As Beyond Shock stresses, the economic aspect of women's vulnerability to rape is an essential aspect of the picture, and a core element of the response to sexual violence. See the video link below to hear from Madam Saras about life in their own words. Her films offer mini-portraits of the lives of women who represent the "backbone" of Haiti's economy—something often mentioned in news stories.

What's not addressed is the unmet demand for protection and health services, including GBV, to these women who often travel alone, at night, on donkeys or on foot, and are subject to rape and other abuses that often go unreported.

We'll aim to fill that reporting gap and refer you to the Madam Sara documentary project to learn more about their role in Haiti's post-quake economy.

Chapo Patty! (Hats off!)

Please watch the video on Vimeo.com by clicking here. 
(Due to privacy restrictions, the video cannot be embedded.)