Salut! Welcome to the latest edition of Woy Magazine’s weekly newsletter, providing you with must-know news and commentary on Haiti and our Diaspora.
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11 Years Later
This week marked the 11th-year mark of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, which killed more than 200,000 people and left countless others wounded. It is safe to say the country has not fully recovered from the natural disaster, and in fact, has witnessed many changes and upheavals since then, especially for women and girls.
A new report published on Wednesday details the racial and xenophobic experiences Haitian women are experiencing across Latin America after they’ve fled Haiti following the earthquake and other instabilities. Conducted by the Haitian Bridge Alliance, Instituto para las Mujeres en la Migración and the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, the report, A Journey of Hope: Haitian Women’s Migration to Tapachula, Mexico, studies the experiences of 30 Haitian women, their reasons for migrating and the ways gender and racial bias in Latin America have harmed them:
Following the earthquake in 2010, persistent political and economic instability coupled with widespread human rights violations drove tens of thousands out of Haiti. Especially for women and girls, life was unsustainable under a dysfunctional government, longstanding patriarchy and vulnerability to violence. While many found initial haven in Brazil or Chile, since 2015 with tightening immigration policies, failing economies and rising discrimination there, Haitian women left, this time for Mexico with the hope of reaching the U.S. border. This route, traumatic as it is expensive, involves traversing thousands of miles through Peru, Colombia, across the Darien Gap into Panama, then Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala over the course of several months.
Mass Insecurity
Kidnappings in Haiti continue to spike as yet another doctor is currently being held hostage by bandits. Earlier in the week it was revealed that resident doctor Laure Daniel was kidnapped, with her release set upon the deliverance of a huge ransom.
As in previous cases, doctors took to the streets on Wednesday to protest this latest sign of mass insecurity:
Meanwhile, news of such kidnappings are slowly but surely making waves in the States. American media outlet VICE, recently published a piece on the possible ties between the ongoing kidnappings and the current government:
An unexplained shift to kidnappings in opposition strongholds has led many to believe the government is working with gang members , neglecting official police departments and allowing gangs to serve as de-facto security forces. With collective fear in the air, streets in Port Au Prince are near empty - which is rare, even in the midst of a pandemic. “That is why gangs have become powerful, arrogant, because they are protected by the administration, armed with weapons, money and ammunition, involved in massacres, murders and kidnappings.” said Pierre Esperance of the Haitian National Human Rights Defense Network.
VICE reports that there is now an average of one kidnapping per day in Haiti, with a jump to 200 reported cases in 2020 from the 39 recorded in 2019.
Corona Update
Despite what the pictures of Fubar may look like on Instagram, Haiti is officially experiencing a coronavirus spike. According to the Haiti Standard, 12 doctors who work at the L’Hôpital Universitaire de La Paix have tested positive for COVID-19:
L’administration de l’Hôpital universitaire de la paix (HUP) a détecté au moins 12 cas de contamination lié au nouveau coronavirus (COVID-19). Il s’agit de médecins résidents au sein de l’hôpital en question, a-t-on appris à la rédaction de Haïti standard d’une source proche de l’HUP.
Meanwhile, the government continues to send mixed signals to the public regarding the pandemic. While they have called a state of emergency, officials show no signs of curtailing or cancelling the upcoming carnival festivities nor the PAP Jazz festival set to take place next week in the capital.
The Emperor Has No Crown
New year, same beat. Romain Molina at the Guardian continues to keep readers informed about the ongoing allegations against former Haitian Football Federation leader Yves Jean-Bart. Now, Molina and his team are taking us deep into the “ranch” where plenty of Jean-Bart’s crimes were said to take place, and how his influence, despite a lifetime ban from FIFA, continues to loom over the center and its members:
Fabienne (not her real name) was one of the first players to allege that she had been sexually abused by Jean-Bart. Once considered to be a star player who had represented Haiti at several youth levels, she remembers being told that her dream of playing professionally overseas “depended on sleeping with the president”.
This allegation appears to underline Haiti journalist Stéphane Jean’s view that Jean-Bart “was too powerful and benefited from the lethal weapon in Haiti, that is to say visas for the US”. When Fabienne was 16 or 17, Jean-Bart “put his hand on my leg to get me to go with him” but she refused. Like many of the players who gave evidence to Fifa, her passport was later taken away and not returned.
FIFA also released more details of the ongoing case this week. The Associated Press writes:
They identified 34 “possible victims of sexual abuse and 10 potential perpetrators, including 14 names of potential victims of Mr. Jean-Bart,” the report said. It cited intimidation of witnesses and the “authoritarian and economic power that Mr. Jean-Bart appears to have in Haiti.”
Witnesses said Jean-Bart would give gifts of underwear to teenage girls, including minors, when he began to build abusive relationships, according to the FIFA document.
A therapist working with Human Rights Watch reported “the majority of the victims/witnesses are still working on regaining a sense of psychological safety and … have not fully processed their traumas.”
Have Your Voices Heard
During his time as US President, Donald Trump relentlessly attacked and crippled the Haitian Family Reunification Parole Program in his attempts to further weaken the US immigration system. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are requesting comments on the proposed revisions to the I-131 form which would terminate the program entirely. U.S. immigration lawyers and advocates are urging people to submit comments going against the ending of the crucial program.
You can read more about it here. Be sure to share with your networks, especially those who may be impacted by this.
Farewell, Maestro
Guitarist, composer, singer and songwriter Maestro Hans Peter Joseph passed away on January 13, 2021. The Minister of Culture released a statement on the news of his death, saying: "The name of Hans Peters appears in the gallery of creators who care about quality music, both melodically, lyrically, and harmonically.”
Here is one of the Maestro’s best known songs:
On a lighter note, Woy’s newsletter turns one this week. Thank you so much for your ongoing support and encouragement, and we look forward to sharing and analyzing more Haitian news and culture with you.
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