Royce A. Hutson

Human rights abuse and other criminal violations in Port-au-Prince, Haiti: a random survey of households

BACKGROUND Reliable evidence of the frequency and severity of human rights abuses in Haiti after the departure of the elected president in 2004 was scarce. We assessed data from a random survey of households in the greater Port-au-Prince area. METHODS Using random Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinate sampling, 1260 households (5720 individuals) were sampled. They were interviewed with a structured questionnaire by trained interviewers about their experiences after the departure of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The response rate was 90.7%. Information on demographic characteristics, crime, and human rights violations was obtained. FINDINGS Our findings suggested that 8000 individuals were murdered in the greater Port-au-Prince area during the 22-month period assessed. Almost half of the identified perpetrators were government forces or outside political actors. Sexual assault of women and girls was common, with findings suggesting that 35,000 women were victimised in the area; more than half of all female victims were younger than 18 years. Criminals were the most identified perpetrators, but officers from the Haitian National Police accounted for 13.8% and armed anti-Lavalas groups accounted for 10.6% of identified perpetrators of sexual assault. Kidnappings and extrajudicial detentions, physical assaults, death threats, physical threats, and threats of sexual violence were also common. INTERPRETATION Our results indicate that crime and systematic abuse of human rights were common in Port-au-Prince. Although criminals were the most identified perpetrators of violations, political actors and UN soldiers were also frequently identified. These findings suggest the need for a systematic response from the newly elected Haitian government, the UN, and social service organisations to address the legal, medical, psychological, and economic consequences of widespread human rights abuses and crime.

Choosing a survey sample when data on the population are limited: a method using Global Positioning Systems and aerial and satellite photographs.

BackgroundVarious methods have been proposed for sampling when data on the population are limited. However, these methods are often biased. We propose a new method to draw a population sample using Global Positioning Systems and aerial or satellite photographs.ResultsWe randomly sampled Global Positioning System locations in designated areas. A circle was drawn around each location with radius representing 20 m. Buildings in the circle were identified from satellite photographs; one was randomly chosen. Interviewers selected one household from the building, and interviews were conducted with eligible household members.ConclusionsParticipants had known selection probabilities, allowing proper estimation of parameters of interest and their variances. The approach was made possible by recent technological developments and access to satellite photographs.

Features of child food insecurity after the 2010 Haiti earthquake: results from longitudinal random survey of households.

Background Recent commentary on the health consequences of natural disasters has suggested a dearth of research on understanding the antecedents prior to the disaster that are associated with health consequences after the disaster. Utilizing data from a two-wave panel survey of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, conducted just prior to and six weeks after the January 2010 earthquake, we test factors prior to the quake hypothesized to be associated with food insecurity after the quake. Methods Using random Global Positioning System (GPS) sampling, we re-interviewed 93.1% (N = 1732) of the original 1,800 households interviewed in 2009. Respondents were queried with regard to mortalities, injuries, food security, housing, and other factors after the quake. Findings Child food insecurity was found to be common on all three indices of food security (17.2%–22.6%). Additionally, only 36.5% of school-aged children were attending school prior to the quake. Findings suggest that prior schooling was associated with a substantial reduction on food insecurity indices (OR 0.62–0.75). Findings further suggest that several household characteristics were associated with food insecurity for children. Prior chronic/acute illnesses, poor living conditions, remittances from abroad, primary respondent mental health, and histories of criminal and other human rights violations committed against family members prior to the quake were associated with food insecurity after the earthquake. Earned household income after the quake was only associated with one of the measures of food insecurity. Interpretation Food insecurity for children was common after the quake. Those households vulnerable on multiple dimensions prior to the quake were also vulnerable to food insecurity after the quake. Remittances from abroad were leading protective factors for food security. Because Haiti is well known for the potentiality of both hurricanes and earthquakes, reconstruction and redevelopment should focus on ameliorating potential vulnerabilities to poor outcomes in these natural disasters.

Features of Smuggling in Wadi Khaled, Lebanon

Through survey research, we investigate the potential socio‐economic impact of tighter Lebanese–Syrian border controls on the impoverished community of Wadi Khaled. We demonstrate that, given the lack of Lebanese infrastructure and meaningful development in the region, residents of Wadi Khaled rely on illegal cross-border traffic to meet basic needs, including the purchase of foodstuffs, building materials, medicine and fuel. Our survey revealed high levels of food insecurity and poverty and determined important socio-demographic associations with smuggling. One of the most closely associated characteristics with support for smuggling behaviour was ones religious background, which we believe to be a function of Lebanons consociational political system. The wellbeing of Wadi Khaled residents, we argue, demands that any effort to combat smuggling entail improving social support for the community and facilitating access to Lebanese markets and infrastructure.

Violence in the ‘Ayn al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, 2007–2009

Conditions in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon are difficult, with poverty rates high, educational attainment low, and opportunities few. Of concern to policy-makers is ‘Ayn al-Hilweh, the largest camp in Lebanon. This camp experiences frequent factional violence and harbors numerous individuals wanted by Lebanese authorities. This study, using a random survey of households, examined the frequency of households’ experience with violence and the association of experiencing violence with PTSD symptomology. Results show one in five households experienced violence and these experiences were associated with increased PTSD symptomology. Implications for social work within the camp are discussed.