Addressing Haiti’s Internal Displacement Crisis

Satellite Image of Internally displaced people. Port-au-Prince, Haiti March 9, 2024 - Credits: Apollo Mapping - Haiti Policy House

Challenges of Displaced Populations

The escalating gang violence in Haiti has created severe challenges for displaced populations, particularly in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are living in 84 sites, facing overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. Residents who fled their homes due to gang violence now rely on mobile clinics for medical care which provides:

• Over 1,000 health consultations.

• Offering essential services such as general medicine.

• Sexual and reproductive health.

• Psychosocial support.

Impact on Women, Girls, and Children

Gang violence disproportionately affects women and girls. Gangs target this population with extreme acts of gender-based violence, including collective rape, to instill fear and control local populations. Over nine months, from June 2021 to March 2022, the number of displaced rose to 13,900, including 5,695 women and 5,984 children. In 2022, the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH) reported testimonies of over fifty women and girls raped by Haiti’s two largest gang federations, G9 and Family and G-Pèp. Similarly, a UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report revealed that gang elements commit acts of sexual violence with the intention to inflict severe pain on those living in rival gang territories. Victims often suffer severe physical and psychological trauma, with some contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or becoming pregnant.

In 2023, the number of survivors of gender-based violence increased five-fold between January and March, from 250 to 1,543, with sexual violence accounting for 75% of cases, according to the OHCHR report. Additionally, the Government of Haiti, in partnership with the Protection Cluster and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), reported that rape cases increased by 49% in Haiti from January to August 2023, compared to the same period in 2022. These testimonies underscore the urgent need for comprehensive support and protection measures.

Building Resilience

Psychosocial Support Program

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Haiti receive psychological support, including psychological first aid, counseling, and essential services, from women-led and human rights organizations like NÈGÈS MAWON. These organizations provide crucial services to survivors of violence, especially women and girls affected by sexual violence in gang-affected areas. Pairing health services with robust social support can address both mental and social aspects of recovery by including vocational training and educational programs to reintegrate survivors into their communities. However, challenges remain, as mentioned in the NÈGÈS MAWON report:

• Inadequate financial support

• Resource constraints for local NGOs

• A shortage of trained professionals

Despite these challenges, the proper structure can prove vital to empower IDPs.

Structure and Coordination

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, Ministry of Women’s Affairs, and National Office for Migration can coordinate establishing and managing community health and social centers, ensuring they are adequately staffed and funded. These centers, staffed by trained local personnel, promote social cohesion, provide psychological well-being, and support economic development for the currently displaced populations in various displacement sites.

Roles and Partnerships

In a government-civil society partnership, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the National Office for Migration, and involved civil society organizations can oversee the redesign and expansion of existing health programs, such as the one led by NÈGÈS MAWON, as well as the establishment of vocational and education programs accessible to IDPs.

Implementation will be a joint effort. Civil society organizations, already providing essential services and advocacy on the ground, will collaborate closely with government agencies to ensure programs are contextually appropriate and meet the needs of displaced persons. These centers will offer core services, including trauma counseling, psychological first aid, continuous follow-up care, vocational training, educational support, and social network rebuilding to facilitate community reintegration.

Mechanism for Partnership

Joint training sessions for government and civil society staff can ensure a unified approach to trauma-informed care and community support:

• Using a shared monitoring and evaluation framework, service delivery and outcomes will be tracked through common metrics like the number of individuals receiving psychological support, vocational training, and educational assistance.

• Portable tools such as surveys and health records will facilitate regular data collection and assessments, including quarterly reviews and field visits.

• Transparent fund distribution, guided by input from both sectors, will prioritize immediate needs and enable the swift deployment of mobile units and temporary structures.

• Regular feedback from IDPs, gathered through focus groups and suggestion boxes, will help refine and adjust programs to better meet their needs. Periodic reports detailing service delivery, outcomes, and resource usage will prove helpful.

Conditional Cash Transfers

Inspired by Brazil's Bolsa Família and other similar successful programs, Haiti can implement conditional cash transfer programs to provide financial support to families in exchange for meeting health and education requirements. This approach can alleviate burdens on displaced families and improve well-being. The Ministry of Economy & Finance, Labor, Health, and the Office of Civil Protection, using FAES, can design, oversee, and monitor these programs to ensure transparent fund distribution and compliance with health and education benchmarks.

Haiti's Past Social Program

Haiti's attempt to provide financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic through MonCash faced significant challenges. The Superior Court of Auditors and Administrative Disputes (CSCCA) reported anomalies in over five billion of the 9.22 billion gourdes disbursed, with transparency issues and doubts about the proper distribution of funds. Many beneficiaries needed MonCash accounts, leading to high transfer failure rates. Additionally, 65% of food kits were diverted, and nearly two billion gourdes allocated for the pandemic response needed to be adequately explained[1] [2] [3].

Monitoring and Transparency Mechanisms

Conditionalities Monitoring: Beneficiaries must ensure children attend school and receive regular health check-ups. Compliance is tracked through automated systems that monitor school attendance and health visits. Data from schools and healthcare providers is cross-checked against registries. Non-compliance can lead to suspension or termination of benefits, reinforcing program goals. This approach can be applied in Haiti as IDP sites have registries of residents, ensuring similar compliance and monitoring mechanisms.

Local Implementation and Oversight: The program is managed by Brazil's Ministry of Social Development, with local governments. Local offices, known as CRAS (Centros de Referência de Assistência Social), support beneficiaries, helping them comply with program requirements. These centers are crucial for local oversight and resolving issues. In Haiti, local NGOs, community groups, and FAES can play similar roles, ensuring compliance and providing direct support.

Enhancing Cash Transfer Programs

Utilizing Digital Platforms: Despite challenges faced during the pandemic and irregularities with mobile money agents, digital money transfer apps like MonCash or NatCash can enhance the effectiveness of cash transfer programs. For instance, MonCash has approximately 1.5 million registered users and a strong agent network, allowing easy transactions even in remote areas. Haitians are familiar with these mediums for everyday transactions. To address previous issues, it is essential to:

• Improve Account Setup: Ensure beneficiaries have MonCash accounts before disbursing funds.

• Direct Transfers: Transfer funds directly to MonCash accounts for quick and secure distribution.

• Transparency and Accountability: Digital transactions provide a transparent and traceable flow of funds, enhancing accountability.[1] [2]

A Way Forward

Addressing Haiti's displacement crisis demands urgent and resilient strategies that can withstand political instability and mitigate the severe impacts of gang violence. Future security and reintegration plans must prioritize the immediate needs of displaced populations, particularly women, children, and other vulnerable groups. Ensuring these groups receive access to essential services, such as healthcare, education, and psychosocial support, is crucial. By focusing on reintegrating and normalizing their lives, Haiti can foster a more secure and stable future, achieving lasting peace and stability.