“Every time I see other girls in uniform on their way to school, it’s like I’m dead”
Telling the story of an 18-year-old girl whose life is turned upside down after becoming pregnant from rape is heartbreaking for me, and it carries a heavy responsibility. Especially as a feminist advocating for the decriminalization of abortion, it is devastating to know that Guerda* lives in a country where abortion is illegal and dangerous for poor Girls like her.
Her mother, Adrienne*, was raped just months earlier after fleeing violence in Carrefour-Feuilles.
As chaos spreads in Haiti, armed gangs are destroying lives, leaving Women and Girls unprotected. As we approach the 16 Days of Activism, their suffering serves as a reminder of the struggles faced by so many Haitian Women.
This week, over 20,000 people were forced to flee their homes in Port-au-Prince after violent attacks. Women and Girls are often the first to suffer from sexual violence in these situations, yet their needs and voices are consistently ignored.
You won’t hear the tears in Guerda’s voice, you won’t see her mother’s desperate eyes, it’s hard to write certain emotions but the stories of this mother and her daughter, who will not wear orange for the campaign, may be hard to hear—but they must not be forgotten.
Written By Pascale Solages. Interview by Stephanie Boucher and Rose-Laure Roblin