My Body is Mine: A qualitative study of intimate partner violence and agency among internally displaced women in Leogane, Haiti Ciann Wilson1, PhD Candidate Co-authors: Carmen Logie2, PhD and CarolAnn Daniel3, PhD 1: Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Toronto; 2: Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto: 3: Faculty of Social Work, Adelphi University, New York

Background The 2010 earth quake in Haiti devastated the economic, social and health infrastructure. Today 280, 000 Haitians remain internally displaced. Reports show that 86% of the displaced people reporting GBV were women. GBV historically situated in a history of IPV in Haiti. The January 12, 2010 earthquake devastated Haiti’s social, economic and health infrastructure. Four years later 280, 000 people remain displaced and lack protection and basic services. Increased poverty and the lack of basic necessities, such as sanitation, access to water and food, and inadequate lighting, converged with the breakdown of the social infrastructure and resulted in the constant threat of sexual violence against internally displaced (ID) women and girls A 2011 survey among internally displaced persons reported that 86%, of GBV incidents were committed against women and girls (Centre for Human Rights and Global Justice, 2011) and 70% of internally displaced women surveyed said fears about sexual violence were among their primary concerns (Centre for Human Rights and Global Justice,2011). There is a history of GBV in Haiti with women experiencing reduced access to education, employment, intimate partner violence and so on.

Background There is a lack of research that… qualitatively explores Haitian women’s lived experiences and agency. disrupts the narrative of Haitian women’s victimization and focuses on their strength and resistance There is very little qualitative work around Intimate partner violence that pays attention to women’s lived experience and the social contexts of women’s agency, which is elastic and fluid and rooted in nuanced power relations. There is a need to theorize agency among Hatian women who are often constructed as victims of violence by men. Storytelling may be a good approach for honoring women’s agency and spirited resistance.

Methods CBR with local NGOs in Leogane, Haiti Hired and trained local women to recruit and conduct focus groups and interviews. 4 focus groups with 10 women each (n=40) Focus group participants had completed a 6 week group based psycho-educational HIV prevention program 7 Individual interviews Thematic Analysis used Findings for this presentation come from a CBR project done with local NGOs at the epicenter of the earthquake in Leogane, Haiti, in January, 2012 four focus groups were conducted with 10 randomly selected women in each (n=40) who were 18 years and older, self identified as women and had participated in FASY (FASY) or Women Taking Action for Their Health, was a 6-week psychosocial program of women’s health meetings that addressed HIV, interpersonal relationships, decision-making, mental health, coping and so on. This was a non-randomized cohort pilot study we conducted with 200 internally displaced women to examine the effectiveness of a peer health worker delivered psycho-educational HIV prevention program with women. We also conducted in-depth individual interviews (n=7) with community health workers who were also internally displaced women trained to implement FASY and the pre/post test survey We hired and trained local women who were internally displaced as community health workers to help recruit participants and conduct study. A research assistant was also present who could translate the convos, and later the findings, into English and Kreyol Thematic analysis was used to analyze transcripts

Findings Some in my group talked about physical violence. There are some who don’t want people to know about their private lives. As for sexual violence, some women said sometime they don’t want to have sex but the partner forces them to do it. (PHW 1) Community health workers reported that women discussed multiple forms of intimate partner violence – sexual and physical. And although aware of intrapersonal, relational and collective agency, women reported patriarchal gender norms and financial dependence on men, which aided in silencing discussions about IPV and constrained their agency – especially when it came to the timing and safety of sex.

Findings: Agency Intrapersonal: “we find people who are opening our mind, we learn about things, at the same time learning how to protect ourselves so that any bad things don’t happen to us” (FG3). Relational: My dear, I was so dumb. I am 46 years old and I have 12 children. And now, a man could not offer me money to have his child…Which means that I am too smart right now. I’ve become too smart. I talk to the man about wearing condoms when we are having sex. (FG3) Collective: We don’t have to stay to get beat up all the time. Men have right over women but women have rights to. You must fight back. (FG 1) Gaining Knowledge, confidence and greater awareness about things like sexually transmitted diseases, HIV and pregnancy led many participants to a greater sense of intrapersonal agency i.e. self-awareness and confidence and also indicated that with increased intrapersonal agency this may contribute to relational agency (e.g. negotiating safer sex with partners) These women express how enhanced communication skills and knowledge through the participatory learning of the FASY program promoted relational agency as women were better able to communicate their needs and desires for safer sex practices. Importantly, when unable to negotiate safer sex with their partners women engaged in other protective practices such as HIV testing. Collective agency emerged in participants’ awareness, and endorsement, of women’s rights. Several participants discussed learning about their rights, power and the need to end IPV and promote women’s equality.

Conclusion These narratives highlight the multi-level forms of agency, their limits when contextualized by pervasive structural violence, poverty and gender norms, but also the possibilities for change as practices both on the individual and collective level can challenge long established gender practices. THANK YOU! These narratives highlight the multi-level forms of agency, their limits when contextualized by pervasive structural violence, poverty and gender norms, but also the possibilities for change as practices both on the individual and collective level can challenge long established gender practices. Community mobilization has been a focus of interventions that show promise of changing atittudes that reproduce GBV in Sub-Saharan Africa. intrapersonal processes that harness hope, self-esteem and confidence as agency also show great potential.