The Violence Against Children Survey (VACS) in Haiti was conducted in 2012 under the supervision of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by a local Haitian research institute, the Institut Interuniversitaire de Recherche et de Développement (INURED). The survey aimed to measure the prevalence and consequences of physical, emotional, and sexual violence against children in Haiti, and to use the results to enhance the country’s capacity to design, implement, and evaluate violence prevention programs and build successful child protection systems.
The key objectives of VACS Haiti were to generate information to guide strategies to prevent, identify, and respond to violence against children, estimate the national lifetime prevalence of sexual, physical, and emotional violence against children, identify risk and protective factors for sexual, physical, and emotional violence against children, determine the health and social consequences of violence against children, assess the knowledge and use of medical, psychosocial, legal, and protective services available for children who have experienced sexual and physical violence, and identify areas for further research.
The survey used a standardized methodology for measuring violence against children, with a multi-stage, geographically clustered sample design to produce nationally representative data. The study was implemented in standard enumeration areas, known as Section d’énumération (SDE), as well as among internally displaced persons (IDP) who were living in camps and tent settlements as a result of the 2010 earthquake. A total of 2,916 interviews were completed, with an overall response rate of 85.6 percent for females and 82.0 percent for males.
The survey found that more than a quarter of female children and more than 20 percent of male children have experienced sexual abuse before the age of 18. These findings indicate that sexual abuse is a major issue in Haiti, and raise concern that most violence prevention and response programs target women and girls, instead of children in general. The results also show that young women who reported having experienced childhood sexual violence were more likely to have multiple sex partners in the past 12 months, compared to those who had not experienced childhood sexual violence.
The survey found that very few females or males ages 18-24 who experienced sexual abuse prior to age 18 received services of any kind, including medical, mental health, legal, or protection services for sexual abuse. The results also show that physical violence is a great challenge in Haiti, with physical punishment experienced almost equally by female and male children, and most physical violence occurring in the household.
The multisectoral task force (MSTF) has led efforts to develop a comprehensive National Action Plan to respond to the findings of the VACS. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, the MSTF is developing a multisectoral response to the VACS findings, focusing on protecting children against violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect, and on keeping them within safe, supportive families. The MSTF is engaging various sectors in the national response, including justice and police, health, education, social welfare, civil society, and community groups, including some NGOs that provide services.