UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Tuesday warned against a “never-ending cycle of violence” in Haiti after releasing a quarterly report on the island nation.
Türk visited Haiti in February and stated that during the visit he saw some of “the most frightening situations in the world.” Türk explained armed gangs control access to water, food, healthcare and fuel. Kidnappings are rampant, and impoverished children are “recruited to perpetrate violence and are subjected to it.”
The report described a capital city largely controlled by gangs. The report noted that due to the weakness of Haiti’s national police, gangs often carry out mob lynchings and “vigilance brigades” described as “mechanisms of self defense.” At least 75 people have been killed since January by mobs.
Additionally, the report found from the period of January to March there were 846 total killings. In the same period, there were 395 reported kidnappings and at least 652 women and girls were subjected to sexual violence, with concern that these statistics are “severely underreported.”
Türk recommends the international community increase support to Haiti’s national police and begin the deployment of a “support force” for a limited period of time “under conditions consistent with human rights standards.”