OHCHR is deeply concerned by the situation of respect for the right to adequate housing in Haiti, most especially for people living in post-earthquake camps and in urban informal settlements – sometimes referred to as slums. With implications for affordability and access to sanitation and clean water, the right to adequate housing is inextricably linked to other human rights – to health, water, employment, education and physical integrity. OHCHR believes the successful reconstruction and long-term security and stability of Haiti depend in part upon realization of the right to adequate housing.
With a view to providing the Government and the international community with recommendations on the housing situation, the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing visited Haiti from 8 to 11 June 2011. With the agreement of Haitian authorities, the visit was organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Haiti.
Shortly prior to the visit, on 20,23 and 25 May, three camps in Delmas municipality, Port-au-Prince (Camp Place Dame, camp Delmas 3/Foyer culturel and Camp Assistance Plus) with approximately 850 families were forcibly closed by local authorities. Shelters were torn down, in many cases damaging them beyond repair. Some personal belongings were destroyed or lost and some camp inhabitants reportedly beaten. Families were forced out of the camps without verification of whether they had access to alternative housing, although authorities indicate they provided some families with money.
The Delmas camp closures were the latest in a long series of similar incidents over the past 12 months. On 26 May, the Government indicated to the UN that it opposed the manner in which the camps had been closed. However, on 6 June, about 70 families were reportedly forced out of the Place Mache camp in Grande Goave, Western Department. OHCHR welcomes the Government’s stated position and prompt response to the Delmas camp closures, but remains deeply concerned that other camps continue to be forcibly closed.
Recognizing that some people now living in camps lost homes in the 2010 earthquake while others have moved to camps to escape poor living conditions in informal communities, OHCHR acknowledges the exceptional challenge for Haitian authorities in developing solutions for hundreds of thousands of people in camps and informal settlements. Municipal authorities must grapple with the sometimes competing challenges of closing camps that occupy private land, or obstruct schools, public roads and other spaces, while also providing support to populations and preventing crime. Nevertheless, as noted by the Special Rapporteur during her visit, “The eviction of people who have no alternative shelter is a violation of international human rights law”.
Throughout 2010, OHCHR repeatedly urged the Government to adopt a comprehensive time-bound plan for the closure of camps, with closure dates set in function with the capacity to provide alternative housing. OHCHR urged that the plan embrace all camps and include provisions for upgrading conditions in informal settlements, and that it also consider upgrading a small number of camps into long-term settlements. Given the cycle of movement from settlements to camps and back, OHCHR believes it is only through a comprehensive plan that lasting progress can be made and respect for human rights realized.
OHCHR welcomes initiatives by the newly elected Government to work with the humanitarian community to close an initial six camps in a manner that respects international standards. The Special Rapporteur urged that priority camps be selected for closure based on vulnerability of camp populations. OHCHR urges, again, that the closure of specific camps must be undertaken as part of a comprehensive plan that can realistically be applied to realize the right to adequate housing for all, whether in camps or informal settlements.
OHCHR is convinced that neither the Government nor municipal authorities seek the forced closure of camps under unacceptable conditions. OHCHR urges the Government to ensure that camp closures do not involve violations of international law, and urges the Government and the international community to consider increasing support to municipal authorities in this regard. Finally, OHCHR urges the Government and the international community to carefully consider the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur as soon as they are released.
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