Caribbean people and nations stand firm for Haiti

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Prime Minister of Grenada Keith Mitchell leaves the CARICOM meeting Thursday, where Caribbean leaders took a strong stand against the coup in Haiti and the U.S.-backed interim leader who praised the gangsters that forced out democratically elected President Aristide. Grenada was invaded by the U.S. 20 years ago.
Photo: Andres Leighton, AP

Prime Minister of Grenada Keith Mitchell leaves the CARICOM meeting Thursday, where Caribbean leaders took a strong stand against the coup in Haiti and the U.S.-backed interim leader who praised the gangsters that forced out democratically elected President Aristide. Grenada was invaded by the U.S. 20 years ago.
Photo: Andres Leighton, AP
Basseterre, St. Kitts - A two-day conference of the 15 nations of the Caribbean Community culminated Saturday in CARICOM’s call for a U.N. investigation into the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti and its refusal to recognize the U.S.-backed interim government there. Instead, CARICOM nations will deal directly with the Haitian people.

In the days leading up to the CARICOM meeting, Haitian people and grassroots organizations throughout the region issued strong statements in support of democracy in Haiti. One petition, drafted by Marguerite Laurent, has been signed so far by over 100 organizations, from TransAfrica to the Bay View. Following is a particularly persuasive position paper from a March 20 conference in Barbados.
http://www.sfbayview.com/033104/standfirm033104.shtml

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1. Economic woes make rebuilding Haiti difficult

U.N. is asked to spend 20 years to bring financial, political stability

STEVENSON JACOBS

Associated Press


PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Virtually bankrupt and faced with the costly mistakes of past governments, Haiti's interim leaders are trying to rebuild this shattered country -- a daunting task because many ministries were looted, and foreign aid is only trickling in.

The United Nations has raised a little over a quarter of the $35 million in emergency relief needed to help stabilize Haiti after a three-week rebellion led President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to flee a month ago.

U.S.-backed interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue is to meet foreign donors April 14 to appeal for more money.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/8317236.htm?1c

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2. since there is a revolt by haiti's neighbor's

how successful will this u.s./haiti appeal be?
why would anyone want to get involved in this mess the u.s. created now?
isn't this another case of we broke it we buy it?

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3. I thought someone with the Sacred Heart might want to see this

Haiti's Dark Secret: The Restavecs


My Only Dress

Josiméne shows off her only dress during a pause between chores. Her possessions also include two pairs of shorts, one skirt, a couple of shirts, a school uniform and flip flops.


Crossing the Line Between Chores and Slavery


Josiméne, 10, and photojournalist Gigi Cohen.
Credit: Gigi Cohen
© 2004

March 20, 2004 -- Freelance producer Rachel Leventhal presents the moving story of one of Haiti's estimated 300,000 restavecs -- young children from the rural countryside literally sold to work for families in the poverty-stricken nation's urban areas.

Josiméne, 10, is a live-in maid in a two-room house outside of Port-au-Prince. Her parents are small farmers in Haiti's remote and mountainous heartland.

Among other duties, Josiméne cares for two younger children, cleans the house, washes dishes, scrubs laundry by hand, runs errands and sells small items from the family's informal store.

As part of the Child Poverty Photo Project, photojournalist Gigi Cohen briefly got to know Josiméne. In the course of her work, Cohen heard about the life the young girl lives as a servant and the life she left behind.

http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1779562

Listen to the interviews!