No Laws in Haiti Prohibit Prostitution, Only Procuring Minors is Punishable

An outside shot of Cour de Cassation. Photo by Georges H. Rouzier

Prostitution isn’t a punishable act in Haiti. Only people who procure minors are considered as criminals, according to the penal code.

“Everyone is therefore free from this point of view, to do what they want with their bodies and their dignities. On the other hand, public order cannot tolerate what is known as procuring, which consists of exploiting the prostitution of others,” the penal code reads.

Article 281 of the penal code expands on the fact that procuring is punishable.

“If prostitution or corruption has been aroused, favored, or facilitated by their [minors] father, mother, guardian or other persons in charge of their supervision, the penalty will be one to three years of prison,” the penal code reads. Continue reading

Haitians in Chile are Camping in Front of the Embassy There For Flight Back Home

A group of people walking. Photo by Georges H. Rouzier

Over 100 Haitians in Chile have been living in front of the embassy in approximately ten tents since last last weekend to pressure the Haitian authorities to push their date of return back.

Most of them lost their jobs because of the novel coronavirus. The embassy is thinking of a way to make them evacuate.

On the flip side, Haitians who live in Chile but got stuck in Haiti because of the coronavirus are wondering if they can return to Chile via the same plane. Continue reading

Schools Fight to Put Protocol Into Practice in Day 1

Students in Haiti. Photo by Georges H. Rouzier

As planned, school resumed in Haiti on Monday. They only welcomed back high school students. Schools’ officials are fighting to put into practice the sanitary protocol given by the government. Various washing-hand stations were spotted in different schools.

Certain schools also went above and beyond to practice social distancing. For example, Lycée Marie-Jeanne separates their classrooms so their students can be placed 1.5 meters away from each other.

Many classrooms were missing teachers. One of the teachers said he’s not going back to work next week to pressure the school to give him a raise and provide better working conditions. Continue reading

SOGENER Denounced Political Persecutions

SOGENER S.A.’s administrative building. Gazette Haiti’s Twitter Images

The Society of General Electricity (SOGENER S.A.) published a letter in Le Nouvelliste in which they said that their human rights and freedom are being violated by Haiti’s president Jovenel Moise and Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe. The members of SOGENER who are experiencing injustice are vice-president Dimitri Vorbe and his family and Agnes Elizabeth Debrosse Preval.

SOGENER used to partner with E.D.H. (Electricity of Haiti) to help provide power to the country. They were accused of using the country’s money for their own benefits. The Haitian government seized SOGENER’s administrative building and electrical center away from them.

The letter says that some of the members of Vorbe’s family who get politically persecuted have nothing to do with SOGENER and there’s no evidence to prove the government’s actions against the company. It also says that Moise is abusing his power. Continue reading

Email me at onz@haitiantimes.com
Onz Chery is a Haiti correspondent for The Haitian Times. Chery started his journalism career as a City College of New York student with The Campus. He later wrote for First Touch, local soccer leagues in New York and Elite Sports New York before joining The Haitian Times in 2019.

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