A young Haitian asylum seeker finally feels that she is respected, that she can express herself and that she is free, after crossing 16 countries on foot, by bus and by boat to flee her country with her baby. to be born.
“Honestly, I don’t really know what women’s rights mean. I think that in Haiti, it just doesn’t exist. Here, I feel that I am free,” says Anderline Louis, an asylum seeker who has been living in Quebec since 2021.
This young mother fled Haiti after being the victim of an attempted murder and domestic violence by her ex-partner.
“He beat me when I was seven months pregnant with Freud. I thought he was going to kill me and seriously injure my child,” she says, taking a gentle look at her four-year-old son who was coloring.
It was this event that sparked her decision to leave Canada, a country she had dreamed of going to since she was a child.
“I didn’t know how to come, I have no one here: no family, no friends. But I always told myself that one day I would come here,” she explains, without knowing why she has always been attracted to this country.
Against all odds
At just 24 years old, she crossed 16 countries before crossing the Canadian border on Roxham Road on December 29, 2021. A long journey of almost two years that she began when she was eight months pregnant.
On foot, by bus, by boat, she transported her son through the Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Santo Domingo, Brazil, Suriname, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico and the United States.
“It was really difficult. We saw a lot of death, a lot of suffering. People had broken feet, pregnant women were on their knees telling their husbands that they could no longer continue,” she confides, her throat still tight with emotion.
Throughout her journey, Anderline Louis only saw her goal getting closer, which gave her the strength to continue.
Waiting for the federal
Today, after having submitted her application for permanent residence two years ago, the woman who works as a beneficiary attendant is still waiting for her file to be processed so she can continue to move forward.
“I am young, I have a lot to offer Quebec and above all, I want to help Quebecers,” she explains, adding that she wants to pursue further studies and continue to invest in the health field.