Rethinking Haitian Women’s Rights

Women everywhere have to deal with exceptional challenges that men could never imagine; in Haiti many women have life threatening situations to face every day. This year’s Haitian Studies Association (HSA) conference took place at York College earlier this month and touched upon those issues with Rethinking Haitian Women’s Rights. 

- Shadine Ménard

After Mark Shuller^* read Haitian women’s testimonies, Régine Jean-Charles^** presented a paper about the struggle Haitian women have had surviving emotional, sexual and physical abuse. The emotional reading brought the scholar and audience to tears.  When Olga Felix^*** took the stage to share her knowledge of the plight of Haiti’s women, the Solidarite Fanm Ayisyen activist fired up the crowd. After all, you cannot contribute to a society’s evolution and solutions without a real knowledge of its struggles.

haitiintlawgrrl.comIt is sad to realize that most of the problems Haiti’s women face today are inherited from previous decades and have remained unchanged. Although there has been some improvement in the sector, the majority of the Haitian population cannot afford, thus is not receiving, adequate medical care. Consequently, women fail to get annual screenings, STD testing and pre-natal care. Aside from the number of childbirth deaths, there is also cause for alarm about the number of abortions resulting in death. 109/100,000 women die after abortions because of bad medication, lack of medical supervision and rogue practices.

Invariably, it is the women of poor economic standing that suffer the most from these challenges because they cannot afford the medical care they need. Poverty is also at the root of girls being deprived from an education. In destitute households the girls often stay home to take care of domestic duties while the male children are sent to school. Olga Benoit Felix points out that because the women are usually the head of households in Haitian homes, the lack of education becomes an even bigger problem when weighing options in how to support their families. She seized the opportunity to denounce that although the Haitian government affirmed it has sent tens of thousands to school that those numbers include children who were already attending school. Allegedly those children are now going to school free or at a reduced cost whereas there have been no new students given a free education by the Martelly government.

United NationsThere is no doubt that Haiti’s problems revolve around basic needs such as health and education. For the Haitian women who are the backbone of the Haitian community, these hardships are ten-fold. Even when the mothers can send their children to school, many struggle with the cost of feeding and providing them with supplies which is why they are eventually pulled out of school. Consequently those children's employment options become exclusive to informal sectors (i.e. domestic).  Domestic workers are not included under many of Haiti’s workers laws; another strike against our women, their ability to protect themselves and their future.

Women all around the world have their share of hardships including abuse, illness, poverty and discrimination, but the 2012 HSA Rethinking Haitian Women’s Rights panelists brought home how much Haiti’s women are at a disadvantage. We have been schooled on their struggles, heard their stories and read the statistics; we know that despite the great strides there is a long way to go towards making their situation better. Now that we have the knowledge, what are we going to do with it?

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* Mark Schuller is Assistant Professor of Anthropology and NGO Leadership Development at Northern Illinois University and affiliate at the Faculté d’Ethnologie, l’Université d’État d’Haïti.

** Régine Michelle Jean-Charles is Assistant Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies, Boston College and a member of Haitian Women's Association of Boston.

*** Olga Maryline Benoit Félix is the representative of Solidarite Fanm Ayisyen – SOFA

Comments

[Amon Verite]

The suffering of impoverished Haitian women can largely be traced to the imposition of white supremacist economics by the U.S., Canada, France and other western colonizers.

[Evelyne]

Very good article. Thank you HIP, I am glad HSA addressed this issue. Every year, I notice the presence of less young women in my classes at the State University especially since the earthquake. The ratio is less than 30% at the university level nationwide. While Haitian families are raised by women, while informal economy is mostly managed by women, young girls and young women are not receiving a proper education. This lack of basic and upper education will maintain women in a lower status and deprive them of autonomy. We should all be vigilant and aware that if we do nothing, the situation can and will get worse.

[Nadève]

Great post! And yes, that was an amazing session at HSA. Hopefully everyone who reads this will think of ways we can all improve the lives of women and girls, and by extension, society as a whole.

[LL]

Do we even have a consortium to address the issue? Do we have many congresswomen who care enough to place us on the top of the agenda. Many are aware of the plight, what are the steps being taken to address them?