Haiti

The lack of a fully functioning legislature while the country waited for contested election results to be ratified, and Presidential run-off elections that were postponed, hindered the Haitian government’s ability to meet the basic needs of its people and resolve longstanding human rights problems. A controversial policy in neighboring Dominican Republic caused an influx of thousands of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent into Haiti – all while Haiti was experiencing a six-year cholera epidemic that has killed more than 9,000 people. Haiti’s prison system remains severely overcrowded. Illiteracy and poor education, gender-based violence, and the use of child domestic workers remain major human rights concerns.