Haiti was in a dangerous state. Unstable government, dwindling resources and overpopulation plagued the country constantly, leading to overall misery and poverty. Then an earthquake on January 12, 2010 catapulted the impoverished region into a predicament far worse. Everyone has been suffering however it’s been the innocent, helpless children that have been hit the worst. More than a million people were displaced after the quake destroyed their homes or damaged surrounding areas. The freshly homeless now live in camps away from the completely ravaged Port-au-Prince. With the dangerous hurricane and flooding season looming, a race against time to fix proper shelters in safe areas has begun. The country obviously hasn’t forgotten the destruction a flood in 2008 left when it swept through the fairly large city of Gonaives. The strain of camp life isn’t all for the children of Haiti.
For some malicious people, the vulnerability of the youth is an advantage. There have been cases of “very bad people” (from an interview with a native Haitian) molesting, raping or sexually abusing unsupervised children at camps. As if these children aren’t in enough danger, the close-packed environment in the temporary shelters leaves many susceptible to water-borne diseases caused by poor sanitation, like cholera, and contagious diseases, like diphtheria. Recent facilities, despite ambitious pledges for funding and overwhelmingly useful medical volunteers, face the threat of shut down. The children being cared for at these facilities are more vulnerable to these problems if they are forced to abandon their lives a patients and return to regular camp resources, some without the supervision of parents. There were estimated 100,000 orphans in the country before the deadly quake. Officials are still struggling to identify the huge number of orphans in the country since the quake. For the children without parents, protection from other people and from disease lacks. They could be inducted into gangs, or later on forced into labor when they return to the city. The condition in Haiti is far worse than ever before. It’s in a state of turmoil, and the children of Haiti are still in the rubble.
This situation is indirectly leading to violation many of the 54 Rights of a Child, as of late especially Articles 3 (Competent supervision, protection, and medical attention), 6 (Maximum extent of survival and development possible), 23 (Special care when handicapped and injured), 24 (Preventative health care and proper sanitation), 27 (Standard of living allowing full mental and physical development) and 34 (Protection from sexual abuse). Luckily, many countries and organizations have recognized this violation and stepped in to aid our stricken brothers and sisters. Many Harvard medical workers at the top of their field volunteer their time at Foyer of Patience Orphanage or other facilities. UNICEF and its partner IDEJEN (Haiti Out of School Youth Livelihood Initiative) created a “Child-friendly space” at Place St. Pierre in Port-au-Prince. Internation aid and donations have flooded in, so now it’s time to organize, rehabilitate, and rebuild. One hopes that, while a devastating tragedy, the earthquake will do some good. Hopefully it has cleaned the slate on the crowded infrastructure of Port-au-Prince that will allow for more sanitary building and more effective schools. After the devastating earthquake, I think the tens of thousands of casualties wouldn’t want to die in vain; I think they’d want us to take what we can from this, and make things in Haiti better than they ever were before.
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