On Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), will hold a virtual hearing on impunity for ongoing human rights violations and lack of judicial independence in Haiti. IACHR, an organ of the Organization of American States (OAS), is allowing the public to register for a Zoom broadcast.
International adoptions to the United States from the rest of the world declined sharply after 2008, when the U.S. government first adopted Hague standards. Haiti itself tightened its laws in 2014 to comply with the Hague Convention, and the steepest decline in adoptions from Haiti took place in 2015.
In the United States, new cases of COVID-19 are surging, recording a daily record of more than 187,000 cases and inching closer to 260,000 deaths. That crisis however does not predict a similar surge in Haiti, said Dr. Jean William Pape, director of the GHESKIO network of health clinics in Haiti.
Democrat Joseph R. Biden’s victory won’t change much in Haiti, mired as the country is in economic inequality and political unrest, some observers say. Others, mostly policy experts, insist the new United States administration will have significant influence as Haiti moves forward — with an early, key test being how well Haiti carries out its own elections in 2021.
The promise of the government to connect cities with electricity within 24 months has proven unrealistic due to the electricity being a one-way business model.
From his home in Carrefour-Feuilles, Port-au-Prince, Handy Calixte, 37, keeps up with U.S. elections news through television, radio and the internet — almost as much as he does Haitian news.
As the cholera outbreak wreaked havoc in the country, national and international human rights groups joined hands to demand an immediate U.N. response and justice for the victims. But even against this public outcry, the U.N. refused to be held accountable for its mistakes.
Between college courses, he worked as a medical translator for two clinics staffed by volunteers coming from the U.S. Nurses from one of the clinics knew of Plonquet’s dream and recognized his determination. They offered to pay for his medical schooling at Université Quisqueya in Port-au-Prince.
Hundreds of charities directed their focus to the country when the hurricanes hit. Mike and I received calls and emails from our connections involved with international relief. They knew emergency procedures, but not the island. They were heading to the northwest sector, near Gonaives, where the most severe destruction occurred. We asked, but no one was interested in the south where Lamontay lay.
J.B. was deported to Haiti in 2019 after being caught with an illegal firearm for the second time. And now, from his home in Delmas, Port-au-Prince, he lives with constant regret.