Amnesty International Appeal - Families At Risk Of Forced Eviction In Haiti

From General Secretary Bob Crow

Please find attached an appeal from Amnesty International in respect of Haiti. I would be grateful if Branches could respond to this appeal for action.

Urgent Action

Families At Risk Of Forced Eviction In Haiti
Hundreds of families living in a camp for internally displaced people in Carrefour, in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, are being harassed and intimidated and are at imminent risk of forced eviction.

at least 40 more shelters had been marked for demolition. There is no court order to legalise the imminent eviction and the affected families have not been consulted or offered alternative housing.

Residents at Grace Village camp, in the Carrefour area of Metropolitan Port-au-Prince are at imminent risk of forced eviction. At least 30 families have already been forcibly evicted, after their shelters and belongings were destroyed during the night of 28 April. They were forced to leave their properties without any due process and without being offered any alternative accommodation.

On 14 May, when Amnesty International delegates visited the camp, at least 40 more shelters had been marked for demolition. There is no court order to legalise the imminent eviction and the affected families have not been consulted or offered alternative housing.

Since the camp was established after the 2010 earthquake, a man claiming to be the landowner has opposed the distribution of humanitarian assistance to inhabitants. In the camp there is a total lack of drinking water, sanitation services and waste disposal. As a result, two children are currently undergoing treatment for cholera in hospital.

The landowner strictly restricts the freedom of movement of the camp inhabitants by imposing a night-time curfew and forcing all adult residents to carry an entry permit issued by him. Camp residents told Amnesty International that security guards regularly threaten and beat residents, and sexually harass women and that police officers from Carrefour district support the landowner in terrorising Grace Village residents. The judicial authorities have been informed about the acts of violence but until now they have failed to ensure the protection of the camp inhabitants.

Please write immediately in French or your own language:
Call for none of the residents at Grace Village camp to be evicted without due process, adequate notice, consultation and that all those affected have access to adequate alternative accommodation;
Urge them to ensure the protection of the camp residents and launch an investigation into the threats, harassment and alleged acts of violence perpetrated by the security guards employed by the landowner and police officers from Carrefour district;
Ask that all restrictions to the residents' access are lifted immediately and their freedom of movement is respected and that camp inhabitants have access to durable solutions according to their needs and wishes, including adequate housing and access to services.

Please Send Appeals Before 26 June 2012 to:
Office of the Prime Minister
Laurent Lamothe, Primature d'Haïti
33, Boulevard Harry Truman
Port-au-Prince, Haïti - HT-6110
Email: ecrire@laurentlamothe.com
Twitter: @LaurentLamothe "Calling on Haitian PM @LaurentLamothe to stop illegal forced evictions in Grace Village camp #Haiti Please RT"
Salutation: Monsieur le Premier Ministre/Dear Prime Minister
General Director of the Haitian Police
Mario Andrésol
Directeur Général de la PNH
Police Nationale d'Haïti
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Email: marioandresol@yahoo.fr
Salutation: Monsieur le directeur / Dear Director
Carrefour Mayor
Yvon Jerome
Mairie de Carrefour
Carrefour, Haïti
Email: mairiedecarrefour@hotmail.com
Salutation: Monsieur le maire / Dear MayorAlso send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below:
Name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Fax Fax number Email Email address Salutation Salutation
Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.

Additional Information

Over the past few months the tension has been rising in the camp and the authorities have so far failed to protect the hundreds of families that built makeshift shelters at Grace Village after the January 2010 earthquake.

The landowner has prohibited humanitarian organizations from providing assistance to the inhabitants at Grace Village camp. Basic services are also being denied and the landowner has not allowed the camp residents to clean the latrines and dispose the trash outside the camp and it has to be burnt on site. Residents believe this is a strategy to push them to the limit and force them to leave the camp.

Twenty-eight months after the devastating earthquake, nearly half a million people are still living in makeshift camps where their rights to adequate housing and access to basic services are denied. Internally displaced persons in at least 60 per cent of the camps are under threat of forced evictions. Thousands of families have already been forcibly evicted since the earthquake without any due process and were made homeless once more. Durable solutions to provide adequate housing to those affected are slow to be implemented.