More About the Casa

Since we really haven't provided many details about the Casa and it's hard to find them on the web, we thought it would be a good idea to share a little more.

The Casa is located twenty minutes outside Cusco, and currently houses fifteen women and their children. The women each have very different stories, but most of them were impregnated as a result of rape. Here are some photos from the Casa:



Like many underdeveloped countries, Peru has a big problem with violence against women, both sexual and otherwise. Women who have not experienced some form of abuse in their lifetime are extremely lucky and in the minority. Furthermore, of the 14% of Peruvian girls under 18 who become pregnant, a staggering 90% of those pregnancies are due to rape (See Reproductive Rights in a Global Context by Lara M. Knudsen and "The Global Health Burden of Rape" by L. Heise, M.P. Koss, and N.F. Russo in Psychology of Women Quarterly vol. 18).

We also have some specific information about the Casa itself. Last summer, a group of studetns from Ohio State University volunteered at Casa de Mantay. You can visit their website http://www.mantayamerica.org/ for more information. There you can also find a great paper written by student Rod Swain, all about sexual violence in Peru. Rod's analysis is very insightful, and links risk factors like poverty to the prevalence of this sexual violence. You can find the paper directly by clicking here.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post them. We hope you find this information helpful!