Human Rights

The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that globally no one is held to account in 80 percent of cases where journalists are targeted.  Haiti was included due to the aggression of criminal gangs who have destabilised already weak administrative and judicial institutions,  However, the targeted killing of journalists is not new in Haiti.  Jean Dominique, immortalised in a documentary entitled "The Agronomist", was murdered in 2000.  Israel was included for the at least 128 journalists and media workers killed amongst over 40,000 civilian casualties.  Journalists in Haiti, Gaza, and other conflict- affected countries around the world are heroes who deserve both respect and protection. The full Al Jazeera article is linked and below. 

In the past, Haitian politicians used and had influence over gangs.  Now the gangs hold the power, controlling 95% of Port-au-Prince as well as the Artibonite and Ouest departments. Gangs charge "fees" for using national roads, kidnap and have attacked government and civilian infrastructure, including the national airport, national palace, and a prison which freed 4,000 criminals, swelling their ranks.  Embassies and international NGOs are evacuating their staff leaving Haitians feeling abandoned when most in need.  A transition council is being formed and the Kenyan-led Multi-National Securtiy Support Mission (MSS) remains pending.  More information on the increasingly grim situation follows in a New Humanitarian piece by Daniela Mohor. 

The United Nations emphasizes that Haiti is in a dire situation and now is not the time to deport Haitians. The majority of deportations take place from the Dominican Republic with neither due process nor advance notice to the Haitian authorities responsible for receiving them. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports 154,333 Haitians were expelled by the Dominican Republic last year - about 87% of all deportations to Haiti in 2022.  It is true that insecurity in Haiti affect the Dominican Republic as well - but conducting mass deportations only makes a bad situation worse - politically, economically, and for human rights. The full article by Jacqueline Charles of the Miami Herald follows. 

Haitian-Canadian filmmaker Michèle Stephenson’s documentary, Stateless, was the centrepiece film of this year’s Toronto Black Film Festival - which, due to COVID-19, was conducted online,  It examines the strained relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic and the consequences, sometimes violent, for Haitian migrant laborers and Dominicans of Haitian descent who, despite having been born in the Dominican Republic, continue to be denied citizenship due to racism and xenophobia.  A review by Sarah-Tai Black follows - a trailer is posted on The National Film Board of Canada’s Media Library and the documentary itself will follow. 

Protests, taking place throughout the country, have negatively affected the economy and the ability of schools and clinics to function.  While this is regrettable, protestors are fighting for a government that is more accountable, more responsive, and that invests in the people rather than enriching themselves.  Without that, nothing will change for the better.  High level leaders hide while sending out the security forces, who as demonstrated by Amnesty International, have committed abuses on numerous occassions.  This is unacceptable - visit the Amnesty International website to read the full report and see accompanying videos.

In collaboration with Doctors Without Borders (French acronym: MSF), photojournalist Benedicte Kurzen took a series of photos with sexual assault survivors in Port au Prince. The intent of the project was to emphasize their resilience, raise awareness and promote dialogue around an important but stigmatized issue in Haiti.  To learn more about gender-based violence and other human rights issues, take a look at the U.S State Department's 2015 Human Rights Report for Haiti. Stay informed about MSF's work in Haiti, consider supporting them financially, and follow Kurzen on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.  

In Haiti and other countries around the world, mental health problems cause significant suffering by decreasing a person’s ability to complete daily tasks, work, learn, and/or build supportive relationships with others.  Discussing mental illness in Haiti can be sensitive – but it is a very important and often overlooked aspect of public health.

Below is an excellent Foreign Policy article by Jacob Kushner explaining how Haiti's unclear land tenure policies undermine investment and cause displacement on Ile a Vache. While the article focuses on one small island, these issues are playing out throughout the entire country.  Improving the climate for investment and human rights requires high-level committment for addressing one of the most politically sensitive issues in Haiti.  The full article follows.

Below is an article by the International Press Service's Ansel Herz describing upcoming legislative changes that would make it easier for survivors of rape to prosecute their attackers. The reforms have high-level support and could pass within a year.  While much more remains to be done, these reforms would represent significant progress.

Equal Times has produced a compelling report on the abuse of Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic.  It is concise, features remarkable photography and raises important issues such as the extent to which Dominican employers and law enforcement collude with traffickers.  Preventing and responding to abuses is necessary for developing a bilateral relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic based on mutual respect.