Amid continuing gang warfare and a vacuum of law and order, Haiti is “on the verge of an abyss” said the United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk on Thursday, warning that any hope of a sustainable recovery requires “urgent and sustained action” to tackle the root causes of the overlapping crises afflicting the island nation.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the Haitian Government also needs to provide a firm commitment to accountability, and the rule of law, after decades of “systematic corruption and rampant impunity”, which have led up to the country’s current paralysis.
He warned Haiti has descended into the worst human rights and humanitarian situation in decades. Urgent solutions to this “protracted, multifaceted crisis” must be found, he stressed.
“People are being killed by firearms, they are dying because they do not have access to safe drinking water, food, healthcare, women are being gang raped with impunity. The levels of insecurity and the dire humanitarian situation have been devastating for the people of Haiti,” Türk said.
Food insecurity is also on the rise, with a record 4.7 million – nearly half of the population – facing acute hunger. Poor sanitation and lack of safe water supplies have led to a so far uncontrolled cholera outbreak. To date, 2,600 suspected cases of cholera have been reported, half of them children, and claimed dozens of lives.
Gang violence continues to expand across the capital and in other regions of the country. In just over a week in mid-October, more than 71 people were killed, a dozen women were raped, and hundreds of residents were forced to flee their homes, as a result of turf wars between rival gangs in Croix-des-Bouquets, one of the main communes of the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, according to the Human Rights Service of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH).
“Kidnappings and sexual violence by gang members are being used as weapons to inflict severe pain and instill fear among the population,” the High Commissioner said.
“There is a desperate need to tackle the root causes of inequality and violence, including those that have crippled the country’s development for decades.”
Political violence has also been documented with the killing of prominent political leaders and journalists.
“Police must respect the principles of precaution, necessity, and proportionality at all times when using force,” said Türk. “Prompt, thorough, and effective investigations need to be established and those responsible for unnecessary or disproportionate use of force must be held accountable.”
In light of the crisis, the UN refugee agency on Thursday, called on states in the region and beyond, to suspend the forced return of Haitians to their country.
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