Home Country of Origin Information Responses to Information Requests Responses to Information Requests Responses to Information Requests (RIR) are research reports on country conditions. They are requested by IRB decision makers. The database contains a seven-year archive of English and French RIR. Earlier RIR may be found on the European Country of Origin Information Network website. Please note that some RIR have attachments which are not electronically accessible here. To obtain a copy of an attachment, please e-mail us. Related Links • Advanced search help 17 June 2019 HTI106306.FE Haiti: Crime, including protection available against crime and the effectiveness of that protection, particularly in Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haïtien, Jérémie, Les Cayes and Gonaïves (2016-June 2019) Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada 1. Overview For information on the security situation, including crime and the measures taken by the government and other stakeholders to fight it from 2014 to June 2018, please consult Response to Information Request HTI106116, published in June 2018. According to Freedom House, crime and violence are “widespread” in Haiti (Freedom House 4 Jan. 2018). A representative from the National Human Rights Defense Network (Réseau national de défense des droits humains, RNDDH) [1] indicated, in correspondence sent to the Research Directorate, that [translation] “[t]he context of crime has changed. There are heavily armed groups throughout the country, particularly in Port-au-Prince, and that promotes widespread insecurity” (RNDDH 17 May 2019). An RNDDH report on the human rights situation in Haiti, published in May 2019, adds that [translation] “[t]he armed violence that is rampant today endangers the lives of everyone living in Haiti” (RNDDH 3 May 2019, 6). Some sources report that the level of crime has increased in Haiti in recent years (Assistant Professor 20 May 2019; Défenseurs plus 15 May 2019). In correspondence sent to the Research Directorate, an assistant professor of social work at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), who did work in Haiti in connection with violence and security, states that “crimes against persons are more common than in the past” (Assistant Professor 20 May 2019). However, in correspondence sent to the Research Directorate, an associate professor from the Department of International Development and Globalization at the University of Ottawa, who is studying security and security agency reforms in fragile states, particularly in Haiti, pointed out that, according to recent United Nations (UN) reports, [translation] “violent crime rates (including homicide rates) have remained broadly stable since the withdrawal of the [United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH] in October 2017” (Associate Professor 21 May 2019). According to the RNDDH report, [translation] “[v]iolent deaths by shooting or stabbing are recorded every day. From January to March 2019 alone, one hundred and one (101) people lost their lives, including thirteen (13) police officers, an average of thirty-three (33) people per month, including four (4) police officers” (RNDDH 3 May 2019, para. 2, emphasis in original). Freedom House reports that, according to the Haitian National Police (Police nationale d’Haïti, PNH), there were nearly 900 homicides in 2017, but the source indicates that “crime statistics are difficult to authenticate and crimes are underreported by the government” (Freedom House 4 Jan. 2018). In an interview with the Research Directorate, a representative from Défenseurs plus, a non-profit organization working to defend human rights in Haiti (Défenseurs plus n.d.), stated that the number of cases of crime, summary executions and kidnappings has increased significantly (Défenseurs plus 15 May 2019). The RNDDH report states the following: [translation] [a]rmed criminals control their areas and hold small retailers and businesses to ransom, setting the amount to be paid regularly by these merchants and entrepreneurs in order to continue to carry out their commercial activities in the areas concerned. (RNDDH 3 May 2019, para. 6) For information on major criminal groups, including their areas of operation, structure and activities, as well as the state’s response, please refer to Response to Information Request HTI106293, published in June 2019. 2. Crime in the Regions According to the Assistant Professor, …organized crime in smaller cities and towns, particularly port cities such as St. Marc and Gonaives has increased in frequency and has become more severe in character. (Assistant Professor 20 May 2019) The Assistant Professor added that “[s]everal urban gangs have now expanded their reach to the countryside and control suburban and rural areas in and around Route Nationale 1 ” [which stretches from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haitien, passing through Saint-Marc and Gonaïves] (Assistant Professor 20 May 2019). According to the same source, the area around Route Nationale 1 “has become quite dangerous over the past 4-5 years but particularly over the past three years” (Assistant Professor 20 May 2019). The RNDDH report also indicates the following: [translation] [r]aids are carried out on containers of goods leaving for provincial cities. Vehicles are searched every day on major roads. Drivers and passengers are then required to give up their belongings. These attacks on vehicles are becoming more and more frequent. (RNDDH 3 May 2019, para. 5) The Défenseurs plus representative also reported cases of goods being diverted to regions and neighbourhoods where gangs operate (Défenseurs plus 15 May 2019). Information about crime in Les Cayes or Jérémie could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 3. Protection Against Crime According to Freedom House, there is “little protection from the illegitimate use of force” in Haiti (Freedom House 4 Jan. 2018). In the same vein, the RNDDH representative stated that [translation] “[t]he Haitian population is left to its own devices and is powerless against the rise of insecurity in the country” (RNDDH 17 May 2019). In a March 2019 report to the Security Council on the United Nations Mission in Support of Justice in Haiti (UNMJUSTH), the UN Secretary General stated the following: [UN English version] “Public confidence in security and justice institutions, including in addressing sexual and gender-based violence and gang violence, remains low” (United Nations 1 Mar. 2019, para. 60). For information on violence against women in Haiti, including sexual violence, as well as state protection, please consult Response to Information Request HTI106291, published in June 2019. According to the RNDDH report, [translation] “no concrete measures have been taken by the authorities concerned to ensure the safety of citizens” (RNDDH 3 May 2019, para. 51). However, according to the UN Secretary General’s report, [UN English version] “Addressing gang violence and building stronger links with communities affected by violent crime is a growing priority for the Government of Haiti” (UN 1 Mar. 2019, para. 14). Without providing additional details, the same source adds that [UN English version] “community violence reduction projects are ongoing in Cap-Haïtien (North Department), Mahotière (North-West Department), Hinche (Centre Department) and Port-au-Prince (La Saline, Bel-Air, Carrefour- Feuilles and Martissant)” (UN 1 Mar. 2019, para. 15). 3.1 Effectiveness of Police Protection Sources report that the responsibility of protecting citizens [translation] [“officially and legally”] (Défenseurs plus 15 May 2019)] falls to the PNH (RNDDH 17 May 2019; Défenseurs plus 15 May 2019). In his report, the UN Secretary General indicates the following: [UN English version] “The Haitian national police have been increasingly self-sufficient in providing security across the country” (UN 1 Mar. 2019, para. 18). The Associate Professor agrees with the UN with respect to the fact that [translation] “the [PNH] has strengthened considerably since the 2010 earthquake” (Associate Professor 21 May 2019). However, the RNDDH states that [translation] “the police system is overwhelmed by the insecurity” in the country (RNDDH 3 May 2019, para. 51). In the same vein, the Assistant Professor writes that the PNH “continues to struggle to protect the population from both organized and informal criminals,” and added that, since MINUSTAH’s departure, the PNH has been unable to fully assume its responsibilities (Assistant Professor 20 May 2019). According to the RNDDH, police officers themselves are targeted by criminals, noting that 15 police officers were killed between January and April 2019 (RNDDH 3 May 2019, paras. 2-4). According to sources, the PNH has about 15,000 people on staff, meaning approximately 1.3 police officers for every 1,000 people (UN 1 Mar. 2019, para. 20; Associate Professor 21 May 2019). According to the UN report, the number of police personnel deployed to departments [outside of Port-au-Prince] constitutes 35 percent of the overall police force (UN 1 Mar. 2019, para. 20). However, according to the Défenseurs plus representative, although there has been an increase in the number of staff, it has not kept pace with demographic growth, particularly in Port-au- Prince (Défenseurs plus 15 May 2019). According to the assistant professor, the PNH “have never achieved full policing capacity since their inception [in 1995]” (assistant professor 20 May 2019). According to the Défenseurs plus representative,