Gender Action’s Post-Earthquake Advocacy in Haiti

Even before the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January 2010, gender based violence (GBV) was rife throughout the country. Twenty-six percent of all women and girls over the age of 15 experienced GBV (Government of Haiti, 2006). In addition to traditional norms that condoned men's right to control and beat their female partners, and the perception of violence as an acceptable method of conflict resolution, ongoing civil conflict helped fuel “widespread levels of sexual violence” (Gage & Hutchinson, 2006; IDB, 2008).