Andrew McConnell, Photojournalist
Lanier Lovely with her son, Lovinsky, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Photo by A. McConnell/2012.
Lanier Lovely, 18, was displaced by the earthquake in Haiti in 2010.
“When the earthquake happened I was in the kitchen preparing a meal for everybody and I felt that the house was shaking, then I bent on my knee and prayed to the lord. I was so scared of the shaking because it was so strong. The house collapsed and I was hurt. At the very beginning I didn’t realise that I was bleeding, I walked just to help the others that were trapped and then my leg was so sore I fell down. After the earthquake we slept in the streets. It was very difficult because I was in agony bleeding, there were dead bodies and also people crying. We went back to the house to get some clothes and important things and then we went straight to a camp in Delmas 33 named St Louis de Gonzague.
I got raped by a man. I was in the camp for 6 months before it happened. It was about 4am, I was staying by myself because everyone was in the countryside for a funeral, he had a knife, he threatened me, I tried to defend myself and then he raped me. I tried to scream but he just closed my mouth with his hand. A case worker from IRC took me to the hospital but unfortunately it was 2 months later and I was pregnant.
It’s a boy named Lovinsky, he’s 15 months now. I’m happy I have him and I love him. Sometimes I say to myself if I had a family this wouldn’t have happened to me. My father left when I was young. Sometimes I cry because when I see the other children living with their families and with a father always there to support them, those kinds of situations make me sad. I hope that God will protect me and help me and give me the power to survive and take care of my baby. Hopefully I will leave the camp tomorrow, my mum is going to rent a house, we might move in tomorrow.”
