Hundreds of thousands of young Haitians are the victims of exploitation.
With 80 percent of Haitians living in poverty -- and half of them on less than a dollar a day -- a huge number of children are forced to work against their will in homes, fields, gangs and as prostitutes. As many as 200,000 children are the victims of human trafficking, reports the State Department and human rights groups.
There are solutions. Doubling the U.S.-funded human rights program in Haiti to $5 million will support more shelters and train community groups. Help for anti-trafficking activities on the Haitian border is a must. Growing the economy through community development -- in which residents decide on locally-generated and managed projects -- should be a priority.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's April visit to Haiti demonstrated the Administration's support for the island. That was an important step.
Please thank Secretary Clinton for her commitment. Urge her to expand the good work that her department is doing to protect exploited children and improve the economy. The Haitian government also deserves praise for its efforts to rebuild the economy.
In the fall of 2008, Haiti was in the news daily as four back-to-back tropical storms and hurricanes hammered the impoverished island. The fragile economy of the hemisphere's poorest country plummeted by 15% overnight, and years of economic development work washed out to sea, leaving people even more destitute.
Haiti needs our urgent help. The world's attention has moved on after the natural disasters, but the overwhelming problems confronting Haiti remain. Consider the statistics:
* Haiti's ranking on the UN Human Development Index is lower than that of Sudan and Bangladesh
* More than 6 million of 9 million Haitians live in poverty -- half of them on less than $1 a day
* One of eight children will die before the age of five
* 3 million people are classified as "food insecure."
As a result of these ongoing economic troubles, some children are forced to work in homes, fields, gangs and as prostitutes. The U.S. State Department, human rights groups and other international organizations estimate that up to 200,000 children are the victims of exploitation and trafficking on an island of 9 million people.
[Your comments]
These problems can be solved. Doubling the current U.S.-funded human rights program in Haiti to $5 million annually is a step in the right direction.
I thank you for your support of Haiti already in place and urge you to expand the good work that the State Department and the Haitian government are doing to protect these exploited children. Only by addressing the underlying, long-term economic needs of the Haitian people can we hope to end trafficking, forced labor and exploitation of Haiti's children.
