I have read in books and seen reports in documentaries about the incidence of rape that takes place in temporary shelters. When communities are uprooted and disorganization rules the day, the evil that is our flesh finds new ways to manifest itself-- to take advantage of the chaos, and brutalize women.
It is sad to me that women living in refugee camps the world-over fear for their safety. They have already escaped such horrific circumstances to arrive in this "safe place of refuge"-- they've run from war, from persecution, from the clutches of death or poverty or disease. And they arrive to a new life where the possibility of rape is likely. That is simply devastating to think of.
"1 in 3 women globally are beaten, raped or abused in their lifetime." That statistic is cause for mourning.
Today I read an email update from CARE that reports the horrible suffering that is surfacing more & more in Haiti.
"Two months ago today, a massive earthquake struck Haiti, killing almost 225,000 people and leaving more than a million people homeless. For them, especially the women and girls, panic sets in every night as the sun retreats.
The women here talk of mauvais esprits (bad spirits) stalking the survivors of the devastating earthquake.
"Young men come with weapons and rape the women. They haven't reported it, because the hospitals, the police — everything was destroyed in the earthquake," reports Hannah, a nurse who sleeps in a makeshift tent in a volatile camp outside of Port-au-Prince.
Incidence of rape in Haiti was high before the earthquake and, now, women and girls are even more vulnerable: streets still are dark due to lack of electricity, and crowded camps and unprotected bathing and toilet areas leave women and girls vulnerable to harassment and sexual brutality."
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