22337: JHudicourt: Haitian women (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JHUDICOURTB@aol.com

There has been a discussion  on this list about whether rape and selling sex
were   behavioral norms in Haiti.   I had to think about whether or not to
respond.   As a Haitian woman, a person who was born and raised in Haiti, and who
has never lost touch with life in Haiti, I believe that the idea that it is
normal for Haitian men to rape and Haitian women to sell sex is wrong and
offensive to us Haitians. There are rapists and prostitutes in Haiti but to make
such a generalization is the equivalent of saying that mass murders are
acceptable to   middle class white Americans because mass murderers in the US are
committed by middle class white Americans.

There is a difference in the way each of the societies responds those who
have deviant behavior.   The American government can take sanctions against
foreigners who take anti-american positions and can emprison mass-murderers because
there is a justice system which can punish for both anti-social acts and
anti-social intent.   In Haiti the justice system rarely gets involved in anything
unless there is some money to be made by someone in the case.   But
occasionally the society punishes people that they perceive as being out of line.   It
is said that zombification is one of the methods used in the past by families
to punish other family-members who are a problem to the rest of the family.
Sometimes people are clearly ostracised by the social group through rara or
mardigra songs made about their behavior.   Sometimes an odd women is accused of
being a lougawou and put in jail when neighborhood children fall ill or die.
 If Haitian police and judges are not eager to punish rape and prostitution,
there are other ways that the society may shun or punish criminals or
deviants.  Sometimes a community might conspire to limit the travels of a person by
teasing the person wherever he/she goes.
        Even if there are many Haitians with Macho attitudes, women in Haiti
have their ways of obtaining respect.   As parents tell their children:   fè
respe ou (one must make others give them respect by being respectable).  Most
women much prefer sharing life and responsiblities with men, but I would
challenge anyone here to bring evidence that Haitian women are submissive and
dependent.   Women are the backbone of the Haitian economy and of the Haitian
family.   Their work ethic and their desire  to better their life on their own is
stronger a older than the commitment to work of American women.   The strength
and character of Haitian women are certainly 2  of Haiti's greatest assets.
Even the extremely rare Haitian women who are supposedly "stay-at-home" moms,
will cook, bake, sew, or sell a few things for a little income.   There are few
groups of people in the world who can claim to be as hard working, creative,
and nurturing as are most of the women living in that difficult economic
environment in Haiti.
 Some people make generalizations about Haitians and  slander Haitians while
enjoying the benefits of Haiti's tolerance for its guests.  Just like most of
us Haitians can watch and not understand the culture of American football and
baseball, there maybe many who go to Haiti and do not understand the games
being played in various types of relationships in Haiti.  Haitians do expect a
certain measure of respect and will return the same. "Fe` respe` nou ."