William O
New York, March 18, 2026.- In New York, in front of the press at the headquarters of the United Nations, United Nations human rights expert William O的Neill fired the alarm bell on Monday, March 16. Ten days after his visit to the field, he denounced the escalation of gang violence, the massive displacement of populations and the extremely precarious living conditions, marked by the lack of clean water, food, care and adequate housing. The most vulnerable are the most affected.
Gang violence has forced at least 1.4 million people to flee their homes since 2023, according to Neill. « Many families live in extremely precarious conditions, often without access to health care, clean water, toilets, food, schools or adequate housing « he said, stressing the vulnerability of populations. The drone strikes carried out by the security forces, with the support of the US private military company Vectus Global, killed more than 1,200 people between March 2025 and January 2026, including at least 60 civilians, children and adults, unrelated to gangs, according to Human Rights Watch.
The expert also stressed the importance of rehabilitation programmes for children and adolescents recruited by gangs, mentioning the commitment of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé to support such initiatives. It encourages the strengthening of child protection institutions, such as the IBESR, and the establishment of a Haitian Youth Corps to offer young people a constructive role in the reconstruction of communities, without however making any judgement on the effectiveness of these measures.
Furthermore, the situation in the detention centres of Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien, characterized by overpopulation, unsanitaryness and the absence of separation between adults and minors, is alerted by the situation. He insists on respect for international human rights law in police operations and on the need for psychological and social support for victims, mobilizing psychologists, social workers and Haitian community leaders.
In response to this crisis, the UN expert recommends that the Security Council impose sanctions against those responsible for human rights violations and corruption, and strengthen the arms embargo. William O
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