Exploring Haiti
Meet Patricia
Patricia lives on the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She is only 14 and has been in and out of jail since she was 7. She has scars from four bullet wounds showing where she was shot by police. The courts in Haiti have little capacity to treat children differently than adults, so when young girls get in trouble with the law – typically street-involved kids trying to survive on their own – they end up in the same prison as adult women.
Girls in the prison are routinely sexually assaulted and exploited by both guards and other female prisoners. With no way to get help --including access to lawyers, education or rehabilitation -- the girls’ futures are greatly limited. Patricia, whose parents are dead, joined an advocacy group that lobbies the government to uphold their rights. About 80 girls and women belong to the group. It helps keep the girls out of prison and gives them a voice. And just as importantly, it gives them something important to belong to.
Patricia and her friends have a simple dream. They want a chance to make a life for themselves – a roof over their head and a source of income. Patricia wants to open up a store that sells hair and cosmetics products.