In Haiti’s tent cities, rape a worsening problem

Since Haiti’s earthquake earlier this year, thousands of Haitians continue to live in tent cities, which tend to be small, crowded and offer little privacy. As a result, many women have reported being victims of sexual assault or rape. Rape has always been a problem in Haiti, a country where the act was only truly criminalized in 2005, but the breakdown of social structures since the earthquake has worsened the problem.

We talk with Pooja Bhatia, a correspondent for the Institute of Current World Affairs, who has been reporting on the prevalence of rape from Port-au-Prince. We also talk with Beverly Bell, who just returned from a two-month trip to Haiti. She is the program coordinator for Other Worlds, an economic justice network.