On March 18, 2024, the UN reminded nations that those escaping the escalating violence in Haiti ought to be protected as refugees and should not be sent back without their will.
In light of mounting worries about mass displacement, the UN refugee agency released new legal guidelines to guarantee the protection of the most vulnerable Haitian citizens.
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In a statement, Elizabeth Tan, the head of UNHCR’s international protection section, stated, “Haitians’ lives, safety, and freedom are threatened by a confluence of skyrocketing gang violence and human rights violations.”
She stated that the organization wished to remind nations “of the imperative to ensure Haitians who may need international refugee protection receive it”.
“We also reiterate our call to all states to not forcibly return people to Haiti, including those who have had their asylum claims rejected.”
The UNHCR stated in its updated guidelines that several different groups of individuals in Haiti may be entitled to protection under the 1951 Refugee Convention.
“Haitians who should be deemed eligible for refugee protection may include political activists, journalists, judges, lawyers and others fighting corruption and crime, among other risk profiles,” it noted.
It additionally highlighted that protection should be given to under the 1984 Cartagena Declaration, which established regional refugee standards. “individuals affected by circumstances that seriously disturb public order in the country and by generalized violence in areas impacted by gang activities”.
Following years of disorder and increasing levels of violence, a gang rebellion in Haiti has caused convulsions for many weeks, prompting the head of the UN children’s agency to draw comparisons between the situation and the dystopian movie “Mad Max.”
Since armed groups stormed a jail in late February and freed hundreds of prisoners while demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, there has been an increase in gang violence.
Henry consented to stand down last week to make room for the establishment of an interim administration, and negotiations are underway to create a transitional council in preparation for future elections.
However, there is no set schedule for this kind of council, therefore Haiti is without a president or parliament. 2016 saw the final election there.
According to the UNHCR, it has 312,000 registered Haitian refugees and asylum seekers worldwide as of mid-2023.
It also warned that it was witnessing a “concerning trend of Haitians undertaking dangerous journeys across continental America and the Caribbean, where sea voyages pose heightened risks”.
Amy Pope, the head of the International Organization for Migration at the United Nations, recently discussed “widespread concerns about whether people will be pushed out and taken to the seas”.
Pope shared with a team of reporters that the UN is “working with governments across the Caribbean and the United States to monitor the movement of people and to be prepared to respond, should there be increased displacement.”
