Camp
Carradeux is home of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDP) by the
2010 earthquake in Haiti.© Amnesty International
Five
years on from a devastating earthquake in Haiti, tens of thousands of people
remain homeless as government policy failures, forced evictions and short-term
solutions have failed many who lost everything in the disaster, said Amnesty
International today.
The
new report, '15 minutes to leave' - Denial of the right to adequate housing in
post-quake Haiti, documents worrying cases of people being forcibly evicted
from temporary, make-shift camps. The
report also explores how the influx of development aid that came in the wake of
the disaster failed to be transformed into long-term, secure housing solutions.
“Many
people who lost everything in the 2010 earthquake have faced renewed hardship
as they are thrown out of their shelters and makeshift camps. Others face
homelessness and destitution in the long-term as financial support programmes
from international donors begin to dry up,” said Chiara Liguori, Caribbean
Researcher at Amnesty International.
“Five
years ago the eyes of the world were on Haiti after the devastating earthquake
tore lives apart and left more than 2 million people homeless. Sadly, since
then the world’s interest has waned while tens of thousands of people remain
destitute and homeless.”
According
to the latest data, 123 camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) remain
open in Haiti, housing 85,432 people. While the number of those in camps has
reduced significantly since 2010, more than 22,000 households are still without
adequate housing.
Conditions
in many IDP camps are dire. A third of all those living in camps do not have
access to a latrine. On average 82 people share one toilet.
Forced
evictions
Forced
evictions from camps are a serious and ongoing problem. More than 60,000 people
have been forcibly evicted from their shelters in makeshift camps since 2010.
The vast majority were not offered any alternative locations where they could
resettle, pushing them again into poverty and insecurity.
Amnesty
International has documented six cases of forced evictions from IDP camps and
informal settlements since April 2013 alone. More than 1,000 families were
affected.
Aside
from the IDP camps, one of the worst affected areas is the large informal
settlement of Canaan, in the northern outskirts of the capital. Between 7 and
10 December 2013, more than 200 families were forcibly evicted from the Canaan
sector of Mozayik. Most of the families had moved there after having been
previously evicted from an IDP camp in 2012. Further evictions have occurred in
Canaan in 2014.
In
some instances forced evictions have involved the use of teargas grenades and
live-rounds shot into the air by police. Other times groups armed with machetes
and sticks have moved in to break up camps, with people assaulted and camps
allegedly set on fire. Amnesty International has also recorded instances of
young children, pregnant women and elderly people being assaulted during forced
evictions.
While
the number of documented forced evictions from displacement camps has reduced
in 2014 compared to previous years, the government is still failing to
prosecute those responsible for these acts. It has also failed to adopt any
legislation to prohibit forced evictions.
As
a result, forced evictions are continuing on land outside IDP camps and are
being used as a means to clear land for reconstruction and infrastructure
development projects.
Long-term
housing solutions needed
In
the wake of the disaster, money and humanitarian aid poured into the country.
Some went to setting up rental subsidies programmes, which support IDPs to rent
accommodation for one year. However, while these programmes have significantly
reduced the number of IDP camps, they cannot be regarded as a long-term and
durable solution.
According
to Amnesty International’s report, less than 20% of the housing solutions
provided could be seen as long-term, or sustainable. Instead most programmes
have simply provided temporary measures, for example the construction of
T-shelters which are small structures made with light-weight materials,
designed to last just three to five years.
“Temporary
programmes, while well-intentioned, have been nothing more than a sticking plaster,
providing a quick fix instead of long-term development solutions. What really
needs to happen now is a roll-out of initiatives which will truly ensure the
right to adequate housing to all those made homeless by the earthquake, and all
those living in poverty,” said Chiara Liguori.
In
the last year, the government has started to consider more durable solutions,
such as regularization of camps and access to essential services. In August
2014, the government published the first ever National Housing Policy,
providing a framework for future interventions. Amnesty International will be
monitoring these steps closely to ensure programmes are in line with Haiti’s
international human rights obligations.
Amnesty
International is calling on the Haitian government to establish safeguards
against forced evictions and to ensure that the housing options being developed
are truly accessible and affordable to those most at risk of violation of the
right to adequate housing. It also calls on donors and international agencies
to ensure that any initiatives they fund or support puts people’s long-term
needs and human rights firmly in the centre of all planning.
“In
the wake of the disaster there seemed to be a common ambition to finally
address seriously the issue of housing in Haiti in a sustainable and
comprehensive way. That dream seems to have been long-forgotten. Five years on
from the tragedy, now is the time for the government, and international
agencies, to renew their commitment and step up to ensure that any
reconstruction is done in a way that truly delivers human rights.”
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