By Hayley Hathaway
With a heavy heart I watch the news, read the stories and see the photographs. My prayers go out to the people of Haiti and Port-au Prince suffering from the devastation of Tuesday’s earthquake. Many of us at Jubilee have strong connections with the country - Jubilee has worked in solidarity with partners there for many years - and some are still waiting to hear the fate of friends and allies.
The destruction is unimaginable, for me at least. I can’t help but think how this isn’t just a natural disaster, but a disaster caused by global economics and politics that have caused much of Haiti’s poverty and environmental damage for years and years.
In this small Caribbean country, eighty percent of the population lives in abject poverty. One out of nine children dies before reaching her fifth birthday.
In June, 2009, Haiti celebrated the cancellation of $1.2 billion of its debts owed to the IMF, World Bank, and US governments.
For many years the country was forced to pay out tens of millions of dollars in debt payments, instead of investing the money in building hospitals, schools, or other infrastructure – resources that could have helped in the aftermath of the earthquake.
The debts dated back to Haiti’s independence. Haiti’s won independence from France and abolished slavery in 1804, but France threatened to reinvade and re-establish slavery, unless Haiti compensated it for the loss of the “property”, including slaves. Haiti gave in to French demands and agreed to pay the equivalent of $21 billion today. This cycle of unjust indebtedness continued through their history and included the brutal dictatorships of the Duvaliers. On top of that, harmful economic conditions imposed by the IMF exacerbated the country’s poverty and path to development.
The Obama administration has already begun to mobilize immediate emergency relief, which is vital. Now the administration must take 3 specific steps as part of its comprehensive response to the Haiti earthquake:
- Provide massive assistance for relief and reconstruction in the form of grants, not loans so the country doesn’t get further into debt. The IMF is already considering a $100 million loan - exactly what we don't need to help Haiti in this time of crisi.
- Cancel the rest of Haiti's debt. While two-thirds of Haiti's debt ($1.2 billion) was cancelled in June 2009 thanks to Jubilee supporters' efforts, the country still has $641 million in debt on its books. Why? Because the debt relief agreements from the IMF and other creditors only covered debts acquired up until 2004. So, new loans Haiti has received since then have been adding to its debt.
- Provide Temporary Protective Status to Haitians living in the US. Jubilee USA member organizations TransAfrica Forum and the Institute for Justice and Democracy and Haiti, along with other leading Haiti advocates, are calling on the U.S. to end the deportation of Haitian immigrants, release those currently held in detention centers pending deportation, and grant Temporary Protected Status for the 30,000 Haitians currently under threat of deportation.
In the next few days, we will all be looking for ways we can help the people of Haiti. Some of us will give money or supplies or volunteer our time. We should contribute in any way we can, and I urge all of us to see this not as a one-time humanitarian disaster, but as a reminder of our great need to work for global economic security, justice, and an end to poverty.
Visit Jubilee’s page on Haiti here
Photo courtesy of Daily Mail www.dailymail.co.uk/
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