Helping Haitians Build the Movement to End Violence Against Women & Girls
Beyond Borders works with key people in five Haitian communities to help them examine their power to address violence against women and girls and HIV/AIDS
The Rethinking Power Program
About a third of Haitian women and girls have experienced domestic or sexual violence. While the most direct, negative impact of this violence is on the physical and mental health of the survivor herself, the whole community suffers. Children conceived through rape are especially vulnerable. The risk of sexually transmitted disease, including HIV, is greatly increased, and economic development is also jeopardized.
Beyond Borders new community-based initiative, Rethinking Power, works to address the root causes of this violence—the imbalance in power between women and men in Haitian society. Each day in towns and villages throughout southern Haiti, dozens of female and male activists, religious leaders, community leaders, and others work to spark conversation and debate. Through Rethinking Power,
we equip people to examine the power relationships in their day to day lives and become
activists in the various roles they play as market women, motorcycle- taxi drivers, students, pastors, etc.
SASA! An activist kit for preventing violence against women, and HIV, is an innovative methodology that invites people to examine power inequalities in their relationships and in society as a whole.
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We work with local women's organizations to create dialogue between organizations and expand their capacities to prevent and respond to violence against women.
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Because SASA! was originally created for a Ugandan audience, Rethinking Power has worked to adapt SASA! to the Haitian culture, language and context.
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