Haitians can't wait for gangs' reign of terror to end

Restoring public order and ensuring access to aid must be priorities in Haiti, where gangs continue to terrorize the population, the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“The magnitude of human rights violations unprecedented in modern Haitian history“, he claimed Volker Turk In a video statement to the Human Rights Councilwithin the framework of an interactive dialogue about its most recent report on the Caribbean country.

“This is a humanitarian catastrophe for an already exhausted people.”

State of emergency

Türk said the already alarming situation in Haiti has deteriorated in the last week, as gangs launched attacks on police stations, prisons, critical infrastructure and other public and private facilities.

But while institutions are collapsing, a transitional government has yet to be established following the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry three weeks ago.

“The Haitian population cannot wait any longer,” he said.

Record of violence

Meanwhile, the escalation of violence has had devastating effects on the population, with a scandalous increase in murders and kidnappings.

Between January 1 and March 20 alone, 1,434 people were killed and another 797 injured in gang-related violence. Türk said it was the most violent period since his office began tracking gang-related killings, injuries and kidnappings more than two years ago.

Sexual violence, especially against women and girls, is widespread and has likely reached record levels.

More than 360,000 Haitians are displaced, and some 5.5 million, mostly children, depend on humanitarian aid. Although 44% of the population faces food insecurity, providing additional aid is becoming almost impossible.

Türk recalled his visit to the capital, Port-au-Prince, a little over a year ago, where he met two girls. One had been gang-raped and the other had survived being shot in the head. She warned that An entire generation is at risk of trauma, violence and deprivation.

“We must end this suffering. And we must let the children of Haiti know what it is to feel safe, to not go hungry, to have a future,” he said.

Protect the population and guarantee access to aid

In his report, High Commissioner calls for restoring some degree of law and order as a priority to continue protecting the people of Haiti from violence and guarantee access to humanitarian aid.

This will require close cooperation with the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), authorized by the Security Council of the UN last October, whose deployment he hopes will be imminent.

“All measures taken to restore security must fully comply with human rights standards,” he said, adding that “Humanitarian corridors must be established as soon as possible“.

Give hope to Haitians

Türk urged all stakeholders in Haiti to put the national interest at the center of their discussions in order to reach an agreement on the provisions regarding the transitional government.

“The transitional authorities must strive to create the necessary conditions for the holding of free and fair elections. They must also begin the process of strengthening police and judicial institutions to restore the rule of law and therefore end impunity “, he claimed.

The protection of children must also be a top priority, including those recruited by armed gangs. In this sense, he highlighted the need for reintegration programs, which include prolonged psychosocial support, as well as guaranteed access to quality education and healthcare.

He also called on the international community to take stronger measures to prevent the illicit supply, sale, diversion or transfer to Haiti of light weapons, small arms and ammunition.

“It's time to end the political deadlockurgently rebuild peace, stability and security in the country, and give Haitians the hope they so desperately need,” he said. Watch our UN News explainer video from last week on the crisis: