Press statement by William O'Neill, UN expert on the human rights situation in Haiti

Hello everyone, thank you for being here.

I am just back from Haiti where I was on a field mission to take stock of the human rights situation. This was my fourth visit since my appointment by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights two years ago.

This brief stay enabled me to assess the situation, not only how serious it is, but also and above all, above all, the pain and despair of an entire population. Suffering permeates all social strata, especially the most vulnerable. Despite the efforts of the Haitian National Police (PNH) and the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission, the risk of the capital falling under gang control is palpable.

These violent criminal groups continue to extend and consolidate their hold beyond the capital. They kill, rape, terrorize, set fire to homes, orphanages, schools, hospitals, places of worship, recruit children and infiltrate all spheres of society. All this, with the utmost impunity and sometimes, as many sources point out, with the complicity of powerful actors.

The testimonies we received speak for themselves and need no comment.

*P., aged 16, survived the worst. “Seven masked gunmen broke into my home in Kenscoff, raped and beat me and my stepmother. Then they killed my father in front of me. The pain is excruciating. Sometimes I forget it, then it comes back. At night, I scream”. In the meantime, she says she “dances” and “dreams of being a psychologist for young survivors,” like herself. The young girl has been housed in a refuge for a few weeks. According to civil society, violence exacerbates all needs. There are not enough resources to take care of all the victims.

“I just want to go back to the street,” concluded 12-year-old L., a child forcibly recruited by gangs. He is currently incarcerated at the Centre de Rééducation des Mineurs in Port-au-Prince and accused of association with the gangs. “I don't want any more bandits in my country. Later, I'll be a pilot,” he added.

The violence has internally displaced over a million people (IDPs), and thousands more have been displaced just in recent weeks. They have nowhere to go. Students recently threw stones at IDPs attempting to occupy their school.. The desperate turning against the more desperate. In the makeshift camps, hunger and sexual violence are widespread. For many, it's a matter of survival.

Unity and solidarity must guide political action at all levels, in the interests of the population.

They must be the guiding principles for all Haitian actors, , in order to ensure security, the primacy of justice and the survival of the State. The fight against impunity and corruption are major obstacles to the dismantling of gangs. The Haitian State must therefore make the fight against these two scourges an absolute priority. The fight against gangs must be conducted in strict compliance with international human rights law, particularly the right to life. No circumstances, however exceptional, can justify the violation of this fundamental right.

The international community, for its part, must act without delay to implement the commitments it has made, particularly with regard to the sanctions regime, the arms embargo, and the substantial reinforcement of multinational security support, in compliance with international human rights law.

There is not a day to lose. There is no alternative. Haiti's survival is at stake.

*Names withheld to protect the identity of victims.

For more information and media requests, please contact

In New York
Laura Gelbert + 1 917 208 6656 / gelbert@un.org

In Geneva
Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org