Innocent Victims of Haiti´s Instability
School House Collapse Points to Greater Problem
Nov 13, 2008
The people of Haiti saw two improperly built school houses collapse in the past few days. Around 100 children and adults were killed between the two school collapses, and many more were injured. The owner of the first school is now in police custody facing charges of criminal negligence and involuntary manslaughter. However, these two incidents point to a greater national problem: Haiti´s infrastructure is poorly organized, dangerously underfunded, and improperly regulated.
Haiti was also hit this summer by two tropical storms and two hurricanes that left some 800 people dead. As a response to these events the World Bank announced recently that it would give 25 million dollars in additional emergency grants to help rebuild infrastructure. However, analysts are concerned that money alone will not solve the problem.
A History of Bad Government
On January 1, 1804, Haiti proclaimed its independence from France. It became the second independent state in the Western Hemisphere and the first free black republic. Many philosophers and theorists at the time declared Haiti´s independence to be an example of freedom and a liberal new world. They were eventually proven wrong. The dream of a bright future soon became the nightmare of dictatorship, mismanagement, poverty, and starvation.
Many historians and analysts trace the origin of Haiti´s present crisis to the reign of the Duvalier family, which started in 1957. François “Papa Doc” Duvalier became the worst of the modern Caribbean dictators. “Papa Doc” consolidated his rule through terror and killed an estimated 30,000 Haitians for political reasons. At the time of his death in 1971, François Duvalier appointed his son, Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, as Haiti's new leader. In the early 1980´s “Baby Doc” was removed from power and went into exile, taking with him vast sums of the nation´s wealth and leaving a severe power vacuum.
Present Crisis
Haiti has never fully recovered from its past. Throughout the 1980´s, 1990´s, and in recent years Haiti has endured several short lived dictatorships, civil war, small spurts of democracy, foreign invasions, natural disasters, and a collapsed economy. The current government is protected by UN soldiers and supported by international aid. Analysts find that this situation is entirely unsustainable and see very little progress being done in advancing the country´s development.
A majority of Haitians live in abject poverty, eating “mud cakes” and living off illicit activities, with little access to education and regular employment. The vast natural resources that Haiti once possessed have disappeared due to natural disasters and mismanagement. The government and economy are just barely surviving. There are also grave concerns about human trafficking across the border with the Dominican Republic where reports show an alarming rise in the instances of slavery. Many advocates and observers are concerned that the international community is not focused enough on helping alleviate this situation through empowerment.
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