Since the disaster in Haiti, jolting stories and photographs of the struggles local people are facing have been plastered all over the news and the internet. Anecdotes of displaced families, food insecurity, lack of shelter as well as tracking of the massive relief efforts taking place have defined the media's portrayal of disaster in Haiti. Of course, as a result, aid in the forms of food, water, shelter and immediate medical care have been rushed to the scene of the quake in an attempt to alleviate some of the incredible suffering.

While the provision of these resources is crucial to reducing the vulnerability of the Haitian people right now, there is another target for relief that must be equally prioritized, particularly within the context of Haiti's social and political climate: the protection of human rights, more specifically, prevention of violence against women  in this time of extreme vulnerability and chaos. It is a known fact that in situations of conflict and natural disaster rates of sexual violence escalate dramatically. As a consequence, women and young people need special attention in these relief efforts. A rapid assessment recently conducted by UNFPA in Haiti found a lack of privacy for women living in self-constructed camps throughout the streets and that the absence of female-specific latrines made women more vulnerable to rape and gender-based violence. In addition, UNOCHA studies conducted in 2008 Haiti following previous tropical storms found reports of sexual abuse in shelters, forced exchange of sex for food and many other forms of sexual exploitation.

There are various organizations who are particularly focusing on this issue in Haiti, looking to implement programs and interventions to protect women and adolescents from sexual and gender-based violence that so often ensues following a period of chaos. Organizations such as CARE, Amnesty International and MADRE are fighting for these protections on the ground and in the international political sphere working to make these issues a priority of all.

I am excited to report also that tomorrow, February 4, representatives from the House and Senate will be introducing a bill known as the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) that, if passed, will work to protect women and girls from sexual and gender based violence in crisis and disaster situations. One section of the bill, regarding emergency situations in which the US government is facilitating programs, mandates that the US government:

• "provide funding to international organizations and NGOs to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls in humanitarian relief, conflict and post-conflict settings;
• include gender experts on the Disaster Assistance Response Teams that are deployed in emergencies to help build in gender-based violence prevention and response activities in all USG emergency programs and
• help build capacity of USG employees and NGO's carrying out emergency relief to respond to the special protection needs of women and girls in crisis or conflict affected settings"

(Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/care-is-working-to-prevent-sexual-violence-in-the-aftermath-of-haiti-earthquake-83493277.html)

If you're interested in hearing more about the IVAWA or organizations working to protect women from sexual and gender based violence in Haiti and other disaster situations, please visit these websites:

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: www.amnestyusa.org/violence-against-women/international-violence-against-women-act/i-vawa-background-and-resources/page.do?id=1051154

MADRE: www.madre.org/index.php?video=1

CARE: www.care.org