Lidia 1

Lidia Mejia
Mrs. Barbara Shelton
Music 1040
28 March 2015
Haiti
A journey to the United States, Sylvia Penner remembers a great deal of
her home country in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. Living in a stone house that her father built
by the river, she recalls many childhood memories with her six siblings in their wonderful
house. Haiti being the worlds third hungriest country and many Haitians living on less
than two dollars of United States money, Sylvia recalls living in the city which had very
harsh conditions, but her family had more of an average income.
English was not Sylvias first language, the main languages in Haiti are Kreyol
and French which she still speaks; she learned English when she moved to New Jersey
at the age of ten. Many changes happened when she came to the United States, a shift
from the main religion in Haiti of Roman Catholic to a new religion of the LDS church.
The type of music that was more commonly heard in Haiti was not the same as
American music, from reggae, Spanish music (Which is listened more in the area of the
Dominican Republic) and Compa, she soon became a fan of Hip-hop, and R&B.
The cultural food is a lot like food from Spain and other Latin countries, platanos,
rice beans, maize (corn), guavas, papaya, coconuts, are very common food found in
Haiti. There was much influence of the Spanish food because of how Christopher
Columbus found Haiti in 1492 on one of his first voyages.

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Gender Roles in family and relationship in Haiti depend on the diverse culture
backgrounds from African and French. Africans in Haiti have the three lowest class in
their society the lowest being Rural Peasantry. Rural Peasantry Haitians are
substantially farmers. Men are responsible for the heavy labor work while woman do
assist their spouse with harvesting and weeding, the women are more responsible for
selling the product that is grown. Due to the high cost of marriage a marital arrangement
named plasaj or concubine is still in practice. Men in the Rural Peasantry class that can
afford to have more than one wife often practice polygamy. In Urban Haiti the gender
roles change from hard labor for men to working with a paying employer, to the women
do trading and or help operate small restaurants. The middle class of Haitians tend to
live more in the urban areas, being able to marry in a church setting is more common,
for middle class and up adopt the practices of the French, Haitians take up the French
language. Men in the middle classes or higher have a business or work for a paid
employer, the role of the women is to take care of their home, being helped by their
servants.
There are many social issues in Haiti the most common are sexually transmitted
diseases and Domestic Violence 1for women and adolescents. In 2010, an earthquake
hit Haiti, making many families homeless and releasing many criminals. Displacement
camps were provided for those in need after the earthquake.

1 Domestic violence as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or
maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional,
economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors
that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound
someone. (National Domestic Violence Hotline, National Center for Victims of Crime, and WomensLaw.org.)

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The earthquake exacerbated this issue because it left 680,000 people living in
tent camps. These camps are difficult to protect and, at the present, rape is an
increasing problem2
The natural disaster and it taking away the security of a private house, making
families be surrounded by strangers, domestic violence, and rape grew from a lack of
protection.
Violence against women is not new to Haiti, in 2010 it raised because of the
earthquake but before the natural disaster there was still a problem. Polygamy is
practiced in many parts of Haiti, making many of the women care for themselves and
their children, seeing a single mother is not uncommon in Haiti.
One study found that women whose partners have other sex partners were more
vulnerable to sexual abuse than women whose partners were not polygamous 3
In Haiti, there is a history of rape and other forms of sexual violence and
exploitation being used as a political weapon against communities to subdue them
through fear and gendered mistrust, 4
In 1991 the political leader of Haiti named Aristide to ensure political power would rape
women, in 2004 he was driven out and rape was once again used for control. February
2004 to December 2009 nineteen thousand women were raped out of one hundred
thousand, rape was a crime of passion, it was an accepted crime for there are no laws
in Haiti if you are raped by your spouse or the person who is financially providing for the
women.

2 Gender in Haiti. Haiti Net. Web 28 March 2015.

3 Kang, Ju Yon The Hidden Epidemic: Violence against Women in Haiti. April. 2011.
Web 28 March 2015.
4 At a glance: Haiti. Unicef, 20 October. 2010. Web 28 March 2015.

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Only a small percentage of reported rape cases are filed with authorities, the
justice system is in its own state of disarray, and the perpetrators are rarely brought to
justice. 5
Haiti desperately needs legal reform on gender-based violence. Haitian law
prohibits domestic violence against minors but does not classify domestic violence
against adults as a distinct crime. The penal code includes penalties for rape but does
not address marital rape. Women and girls cannot seek protection orders from judicial
officers.6
Advocates for women rights in Haiti has reached the United States, Mariam
Merlet, Magalie Marcelin, and Anne Marie Coriolan are the fighters and justice seekers
for Haiti woman in the US congress. Developing groups to help the women in Haiti to
recover from rape, domestic violence, and also help the women pursue justice so that
may be able to begin a new life.
A Sixteen-year-old named Florence was interviewed by Amanda Klasing, the
adolescent was an orphan. In the city of Port-au-Prince she worked for a family, when
the earthquake hit it destroyed the house of her employer, Florence, and her employers
family were forced to move to a camp to try and get life back on track. While Florence
was at the camp with her employers family, her employer raped and abused her, being
too scared, and young Florence did not know who to talk to, and where to go. Months
past and later on tried to press charges, but because of no medical documentation and
also no evidence of the rape, her case had no ability to be successful.

5 Gender in Haiti. Haiti Net. Web 28 March 2015.

6 Klasing, Amanda; A chance for Congress to help Haitian women. Human Rights Watch, 12
January. 2012. Web 28 March 2015.

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In January of 2012 congress introduced a new bill that would help resolve the
issue of domestic violence and women rights, the bill would also help the women who
have been terrified to speak up about their rape and or domestic violence. Not only is
the pressure on womens right on Haitis government but also the United States a major
priority to help with women rights during the reconstruction of the country.
The song Djannie by Emeline Michel talks about the domestic and relationship
violence in the Haitian society, taking a forlorn approach on the issue.
He hits you, and you don't say jack
You say you're broken, you won't leave, your hands are tied up,
I can feel your heart breaking
You know it won't never work, you're screwed7
As the song continues it tells the listeners that love means honor, and respect,
the song tries to get the women to open their eyes to the situation they are living in, so
they may have a healthy relationship, move on and have a better life.

Many of the immigrants from Haiti come to the United States because of such
harsh conditions, women are trying to get away from the domestic violence, and better
their life, not only for them but for their families. By standing up and speaking out for
women rights in Haiti, the better the living conditions will be.

7 Kat. [Haitian Music Review] Emeline, Michile, Quintessence. Kreyolicious.

WordPress, 21 May. 2013. Web 28 March 2015.

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Works Cited
Penner, Sylvia. Personal Interview. 27 March 2015.
Klasing, Amanda; A chance for Congress to help Haitian women. Human Rights
Watch, 12 January. 2012. Web 28 March 2015.
Gender Equality and Womens Empowerment. USAID, 28 January. 2015. Web
28 March 2015.
Kat. [Haitian Music Review] Emeline, Michile, Quintessence. Kreyolicious.
WordPress, 21 May. 2013. Web 28 March 2015.
Gender Roles and Family Life. U.S. Liberty of Congress, Web 28 March 2015.
Kang, Ju Yon The Hidden Epidemic: Violence against Women in Haiti. April.
2011. Web 28 March 2015
Pierre, Jean. Gender Roles and Family Relationships in Early Day Haitian
Society. Sparks Net, 9 March. 2007. Web 28 March 2015.
Domestic Violence. The United States Department of Justice, 23 July. 2014.
Web 28 March 2015.
Gender in Haiti. Haiti Net. Web 28 March 2015.
At a glance: Haiti. Unicef, 20 October. 2010. Web 28 March 2015.