A sense of pride and dignity seems to mask a sense of desperation just below the surface . But for the very poor, which is the majority of women, roles are limited to domestic work, field work, or selling meager supplies at the market, says Bryant Freeman, director of the Institute of Haitian Studies at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Some women must share their husbands with other women. It's protection for the family. They hope the boy will grow up to get a job and then take care of the family.
Child slavery is a sad reality.
A 1998 UN study found that more than 300,000 children work as domestic slaves in Haiti. Many of these children were given up into slavery by their parents in the hope that the child would at least have food to eat. Rape and violence against women are widespread and often go unreported. Rape as punishment for political activity on the island has been documented by government and university studies. Additionally, a 1996 report found that 7 out of 10 Haitian women said they had been victims of violence, with the most common form being sexual assault.