The effect of natural disaster and internal displacement on violence against children: exploring the aftermath of the 2010 Haitian earthquake

Sociology, psychology and a growing number of other social science disciplines have increasingly used a socio-ecological model to understand violence against children. Although researchers often evoke this theory, few studies... [ view full abstract ]

Sociology, psychology and a growing number of other social science disciplines have increasingly used a socio-ecological model to understand violence against children. Although researchers often evoke this theory, few studies have attempted to ground it in empirical evidence. This study is the first analysis in a multi-part series that uses natural experiments of humanitarian crises to understand their effects on familial and community violence practices against children. In this component of the series, I will present initial analysis of the nationally-representative Violence against Children Survey (VACS) after the 2010 Haitian earthquake. The research applies a novel advanced matching technique coupled with quantitative hypothesis testing to begin to make statements that are closer to causal inference than found in other similar survey studies. The hope is that the findings of this study will help researchers and policy maker to better understand the connection between macro-level crises and micro-level manifestations of violence. The research has direct implications for Haiti but also, for other countries globally.