The “Zanmi Timoun” Foundation advocates for full respect of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), a text designed to protect children around the world, including the children of Haiti, was ratified on December 23, 1994 by the Haitian State. This text, which is mandatory under international law, has the same meaning for all member states of the United Nations. It highlights the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Child as well as the mechanism for implementing these provisions. In addition, it highlights the various cases of violation of children’s rights. Thus, for more than 30 years, submitted to the service of children, the marginalized, the most vulnerable in working-class neighborhoods, this document of 54 articles has aroused very little interest from the Haitian state. Based on this observation, the “Zanmi Timoun” Foundation, an organization for the defense and promotion of children’s rights, wishes the real applicability of the said document to have international legal significance.

In fact, the trend regarding the rights of children in Haiti has not changed since they are continually violated, despite the efforts made by certain human rights organizations, including the “Zanmi Timoun” Foundation. On the other hand, the obligation is made to the Haitian State to provide every five (5) years, a report on the evolution of child protection to the United Nations (UN) and this, for have better control. So, Zanmi Timoun pleads for a new report from the Haitian government on the progress made in the enjoyment of children’s rights as prescribed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child in its articles 44 and 45.

Furthermore, Zanmi Timoun notes that the situation is unfortunately stalling on the different categories of children’s rights. Lack of leisure, food insecurity, unsafe school environment, recruitment of children into armed groups, forced displacement of children within their families, and even separation of some children from their parents, immigration irregular in the Dominican Republic, among others are the lot of daily problems of Haitian children. With all this in mind, it is up to the Haitian State to guarantee scrupulous respect for the rights of the child.

Consequently, on the occasion of the date of ratification of the convention on the Rights of the Child by Haiti, Zanmi Timoun believes it is necessary that the State, being guarantor of all human rights, in particular those of children, should define a social protection policy in their favor and to take all appropriate legislative and administrative measures to ensure respect for the fundamental rights of children in Haiti.

Done in Port-au-Prince, December 23, 2022

Joseph Richard FORTUNÉ
Communication manager
Tel: 509 3187 73 63 / 3387 06 88