Haiti

Women in Haiti in the early 21st century face lives of challenge marked by grinding poverty, the impact of political violence and instability, and pervasive male dominance as a social norm. This is reflected in low incomes, high birth rates, high maternal mortality rates, and little or no access to healthcare and education for many women. The poorest country and one of most economically vulnerable in the Western Hemisphere, 80 percent of Haiti's population live below the World Bank's poverty line, and more than half make less than $100 per year. Women's wages remain among the lowest in the world and 72 percent of households are headed by women.

This vulnerability was brought to the world's attention on January 12, 2010, when an earthquake of 7.0 Mw magnitude struck near the community of Léogâne. The quake caused extensive damage in a 30 km. radius that included the capital city of Port-au-Prince and the cultural center of Jacmel. As many as 200,000 people lost their lives, and hundreds of thousands more were injured and lost their homes.

Poverty and Political Instability

Transcript

• People stranded in tent cities months after Haiti’s devastating earthquake are struggling to rebuild their lives, even if rebuilding their homes is still out of reach. Julie owned a beauty salon in Port-au-Prince, and two weeks after moving into this squatter camp she managed to re-open, even if her tent salon doesn’t quite compare to the old shop.
• Oh, it was chic. It wasn’t like this – it had everything. I can manage to work here, but I’m still missing a lot of things, like hairdryers, and I don’t have electricity. I’m missing a lot of things. It’s working out really well, but when it rains, there’s mud everywhere, and people can’t walk around. But my clients came back.
• Many loyal customers who still have homes take the bus to this tiny oasis from miles away. Others like Katiana[?] live in the same camp for internally displaced people, and come to indulge in a weekly ritual that just feels good.
• It’s still the same. Before, we had a great time coming here. Right now, you have to look beautiful. It’s as if after the earthquake, women are becoming even more beautiful than before. We are all traumatized because of the earthquake. Coming here is a diversion. We have fun, we laugh and have a good time with the other customers.
• All treatments are half price these days, since Julie says she knows everyone is short on cash. Pedicures cost less than $3; acrylic tips are about $1.20 extra. Getting hair washed and styled is $10.
• I don’t feel okay at all, because I’m not used to living like this. For me, this place is not livable, but we have no choice, because my house was completely destroyed.
• International aid groups discourage establishing anything permanent in the camps, since they are only supposed to be temporary shelters, but Julie and her clients say they are just trying to get by and save up money to move their families out of here.
• I think it’s really impressive. She is really brave to pull this off with the meager means she has right now. It’s a really big success.
• Julie says the salon pulls in the equivalent of anywhere from $20 to $40 a day, and that she’s managed to get many new customers by setting up shop in the camp. Hers is one of a handful of makeshift salons, and according to clients, it’s the best one.

Poverty has fostered increasing crime with devastating effects on the basic human rights of women and girls in Haiti. The feminization of both poverty and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-1.6 women to every man infected-is coupled with an ever increasing vulnerability to sexual, physical, psychological, and economic violence.

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