More than 100,000 girls aged between six and 17 are estimated to be working in domestic service in Haiti. Far from their relatives and friends and dependent on their employers or host families, these children are at grave risk of physical abuse and sexual violence.
Sexual violence against women and girls is pervasive and widespread in Haiti. Much of this violence is directed at girls: more than half of all those who report being raped are 18 or younger. Reliable evidence of the true scale of sexual violence against girls in Haiti remains scarce. However, data collected by NGOs gives some sense of the extent of the problem. For example, Haitian Women's Solidarity (Solidarité Fanm Ayisien, SOFA) documented 238 rapes between January 2007 and June 2008; 140 involved girls aged between 19 months and 18 years.
