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| Section The ICRC in Haiti
The ICRC has been working in Haiti without interruption since 1994. In early 2004, when internal strife threatened to degenerate into armed conflict, it expanded its operations.
In violence-prone shantytowns the ICRC improves water and sanitation and ensures that people wounded as a result of violence have access to medical services. Boosting the capacity of the Haitian Red Cross, especially in the areas of management, emergency-response preparedness of first-aid workers and dissemination of humanitarian principles, is one of the main activities of the ICRC in the country. In civilian prisons and police stations the ICRC visits people deprived of their freedom for reasons related to the armed violence and political tensions. Finally, among weapons bearers the ICRC promotes basic humanitarian principles such as the obligation to spare medical facilities, first-aid workers and others taking no part in violence. Presence (2009): 69 staff, including 11 expatriates Our world. Your move. in Haiti
The year 2009 has great significance for the ICRC and the entire Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement: it marks the 150th anniversary of the battle of Solferino and the 60th anniversary of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949. In observance of these anniversaries, the Movement has launched a campaign, Our world. Your move, to remind everyone of his or her individual responsibility to lessen human suffering.
Haiti is one of the countries being highlighted as part of the campaign. Although the security situation has improved since 2004, the absence of State services in districts affected by the violence is having a serious impact on living conditions. In 2008, four tropical storms brought flooding, devastation and death.  Key document10-8-2009 ICRC survey on the impact of armed conflict on civilians: views from HaitiTo raise awareness of the impact of armed conflict or other situations of armed violence on civilians, the ICRC has launched a vast research programme in eight of the most troubled countries in the world. These reports present the results of the survey in Haiti. (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Haiti) Report Includes PDF Feature5-6-2009 Haiti: poverty – a breeding ground for violence in Cité Soleil With most gang leaders in jail, the violence that ravaged Cité Soleil between 2003 and 2007 has abated. But poverty fuels discontent, and the victims of violence remain one of the most vulnerable sectors of the population. (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Haiti) Feature Includes Photo 14-5-2009 Haiti: after the hurricane – rebuilding against the odds Building back better after the four consecutive killer storms that ravaged Haiti in 2008 is a challenge for a country suffering poverty, environmental degradation and donor fatigue. (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Haiti) Feature Includes Photo 1-5-2009 Haiti: Red Cross volunteers provide a lifeline to the sick and wounded in shanty towns The work of Haitian Red Cross volunteers is dangerous and stressful as they evacuate the sick and wounded from the slums of Port-au-Prince and discuss life and death decisions with gang leaders. (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Haiti) Feature Includes Photo 4-3-2009 Haiti: midwives bring solace to women in Haiti’s slumsMidwives Marie Joseph and Françoise understand the suffering of women in Cité Soleil. Marie Joseph’s daughter and Françoise’s niece have been victims of the rampant sexual violence in Haiti’s sprawling waterside slum. Trained by the Red Cross, the two midwives help evacuate pregnant and sexually abused women to hospital. (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Haiti) Feature ICRC film1-12-2006 Haiti: changing Cité-SoleilThe Cité-Soleil shantytown in Port-au-Prince has been the scene of deadly clashes between armed groups and UN forces. Local people live in abject poverty against a backdrop of violence, without even basic services to make their lives more bearable. Together, the ICRC and the Haitian Red Cross are providing an ambulance service for the sick and wounded, repairing water points and seeking to give some hope again to the people of Cité-Soleil. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Films\From the field) ICRC film Includes Video Interview30-6-2008 Protecting people in situations of internal violenceIn January 2008, the head of the ICRC’s regional delegation in Buenos Aires, Michel Minnig, addressed the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs of the Organization of American States on the subject of internal violence. In this interview, he reviews the main points of his statement. (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas) Interview Press article7-5-2009 Haiti: between the hurricanes When four deadly storms battered Haiti during the last hurricane season, well-prepared volunteers and staff stepped in to save lives. Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 1, 2009. (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Haiti) Press article Video Collection5-11-2009 Haiti: the enduring cycle of violence and poverty Brice Osmer lost his arm in 2005 after being hit by a stray bullet near his home in Cité Soleil. Shortly thereafter, his wife was shot in the stomach and barely survived. Violence affects 98% of the population of this sprawling shanty town, one of the poorest in the Western hemisphere, hindering people's ability to work and thus put food on the table for their families. (Info resources\Video) Video Collection Includes Video 28-9-2009 Haïti: saving lives in Cité Soleil Violence is on the rise again as gang members struggle for power in Cité Soleil, the sprawling slum in Port-au-Prince. Haitian Red Cross volunteers put their lives on the line as they evacuate the sick and wounded from communities caught in the crossfire such as Martissant, the setting of this film. (Info resources\Video) Video Collection Includes Video 17-8-2009 Rebuilding after the hurricanes in Haiti Building back better after the four consecutive killer storms that ravaged Haiti in 2008 is a major challenge that is being taken up by the Haitian Red Cross, among others. This film is set in the hurricane-ravaged city of Gonaives, where people are very concerned about what may lie in store for the 2009 hurricane season. (Info resources\Video) Video Collection Includes Video 8-6-2009 Haïti: providing a lifeline to the sick and wounded Red Cross volunteers in Haiti undertake particularly dangerous and stressful work as they evacuate the sick and wounded from the slums of Port-au-Prince, sometimes having to make life and death decisions over the telephone with gang leaders. (Info resources\Video) Video Collection Includes Video 8-6-2009 Haïti: poverty – a breeding ground for violence A long-term resident of Cite Soleil, the Haitian capital's sprawling seaside slum, 83-year-old Elvanise Tidor was first caught in gangland crossfire in 1993, before stepping into harms way again in 2004. Women in countries affected by violence face enormous risks and often show great resourcefulness in overcoming terrible circumstances. (Info resources\Video) Video Collection Includes Video |
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