Recommendations for Sustainable Reconstruction of Haiti
Haiti Reconstruction Six Months after the Earthquake
Six months after the devastating earthquake, Haiti's reconstruction has been painfully and detrimentally slow. Over 1.6 million people "live" in horrific conditions in the camps, where food and employment are scarce and women and children face the threat of sexual violence. Despite the outpouring of support worldwide immediately after the earthquake, aid is slowly trickling in and not reaching the people in most need. Sadly, mechanisms that would ensure the inclusion of Haitian civil society groups in the reconstruction process have not yet been created. Their participation is vital in rebuilding a new and better Haiti.
The Haiti Advocacy Working Group (HAWG), of which WOLA is a leading member, produced the following documents in direct consultation with Haitian civil society groups. They provide concrete recommendations on the key issues confronting reconstruction efforts in Haiti ranging from sustainable rural development, decentralization, elections to support for internally displace people.
U.S. Groups Welcome the United States’ Decision to Grant Visa to Hollman Morris
U.S. Groups Welcome the United States' Decision to Grant Visa to Hollman Morris
The Washington Office on Latin America, Latin America Working Group, U.S. Office on Colombia, and Center for International Policy welcome the U.S. State Department's decision to reverse their initial denial of a visa to Colombian independent journalist Hollman Morris. Our groups, which have worked with Mr. Morris for years, were greatly disturbed when Morris was denied a visa in July under the terrorist activities section of the Patriot Act. When Mr. Morris' visa was denied, we joined others in urging U.S. policymakers to change this decision.
Mr. Morris's work is instrumental in raising awareness regarding the victims of Colombia's internal armed conflict and their rights to justice. Mr. Morris reports from Colombia's most conflict-ridden areas and on some of the country's most controversial and politically sensitive topics. He served a key role in raising global awareness of many human rights abuses, including the 2005 massacre in the San José de Apartadó peace community. Always with a view to reporting from the perspective of those affected by Colombia's legal and illegal armed groups, corruption and adverse effects of anti-narcotics policies, Mr. Morris's work sheds light on Colombia's reality to Colombians and the world.
His courageous independent reporting made him the recipient of prestigious human rights awards. It has also made him the target of political persecution and the recipient of multiple death threats. Mr. Morris was one of the many human rights defenders and government critics who were victimized by Colombia's Administrative Security Agency (DAS). As per our report Far Worse than Watergate, on the DAS intelligence scandal, Mr. Morris was subjected to illegal surveillance, wiretapping and a defamation campaign.
We thank U.S. policymakers for reversing this decision in favor of Mr. Morris and freedom of expression in Colombia. We also look forward to Morris's time in the United States as a Neiman Foundation Fellow. It is our hope that Mr. Morris's time in the United States will enable him to educate and inspire others in the field of investigative and independent journalism. We also hope that in the future he will be able to make his important contributions as a journalist without the fear of physical harm and political persecution.
For more information contact:
Gimena Sanchez, Senior Associate Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) (202) 797-2171;
Lisa Haugaard, Executive Director Latin America Working Group (LAWG) (202) 546-7010;
Kelly Nicholls, Executive Director US Office on Colombia (USOC) (202) 232-8090;
Abigail Poe, Director of Latin America Security program Center for International Policy (CIP) (202) 232-3317;
WOLA supports the victims’ families in their struggle for truth and justice, promotes initiatives that will lead to greater accountability and transparency in Mexico’s law enforcement and judicial institutions, calls for the sanction of government officials that failed to adequately investigate the murders because of negligence or omission, supports the work of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF) to identify unknown remains of murdered women, and encourages all sectors to support efforts to eliminate violence against women through education, prevention, and effective investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators.
WOLA also works to engage U.S. policymakers in efforts to prevent and punish the murders of women in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua.
WOLA is concerned by the increasing role of the Mexican military in public security and counter-narcotics efforts. WOLA encourages efforts to strengthen the civilian police corps and for the establishment of a clear-cut distinction between military tasks and policing tasks in law-and-order functions.
WOLA supports the protection of the human rights of formerly gang-involved individuals, who are frequently victims of gang violence as well as victims of a legal system in which their rights cannot be guaranteed. We also support the protection of the human rights of any individual persecuted by gang violence.
WOLA seeks to engage with Latino organizations in the United States, and with partners in Central America, working to promote best practices that address gangs in a comprehensive manner.WOLA opposes current U.S. policy toward Cuba. The four-decades long policy of isolation and of “punishing” the Cuban government has only succeeded in harming the average Cuban while having little effect on the Cuban government. As do others in the human rights community, WOLA is critical of human rights violations in Cuba. While respectful of Cuban sovereignty, we believe that the most beneficial way to influence the state of human right and democracy on the island is by engaging with Cuban society.
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