Can the relief effort in Haiti contribute to the promotion of human rights?

In this article I argue that participatory efforts in the current Haiti relief initiative open up the possibility of the country moving towards a society that is more respectful of human rights. By drawing parallels between shifts from early to later paradigms of international development and highlighting novel current relief program, I hope to show that participation, as a formal element in relief initiatives has the potential to channel societies into a positive and democratic path to recovery in the aftermath of a disaster. In doing this I hope to open up debate on the overall effects of relief efforts in terms of their ability to put societies on a track towards a wider fulfillment of human rights.

As discussed by Peter Uvin¹ the conception of international development as merely economic development has widely been disregarded by the development industry in favor of a ‘capabilities² or ‘human rights-based’ approach. The ideas behind the move towards this approach rests on the assertion that development itself is a number of freedoms/capabilities or a situation in which we can expect the fulfillment of human rights.³ Intrinsic to this rights-based approach to development is the idea of participation. In simple words, development nowadays is less about providing something to someone and more about ‘putting them in a position where they can begin to provide it to themselves.’

In the earlier development projects of the 1960s and 70s, we saw that participation of communities was not a formal element of projects themselves.⁴ Nowadays, however, one would rarely find a project funded if it did not have the word ‘participation’ and a mechanism for involving affected communities in the project written clearly into it.⁵ I believe that these developments in the relief world of introducing participation as a formal aspect of community projects has crossed over, and with positive effects into the relief world.

A good example of a participative initiative in the current relief effort would be the ‘Cash for Work’ program set up by UNDP. In this initiative, survivors of the earthquakes are brought in and paid to help rebuild their communities.⁶ This program has received much community backing,⁷ resulting in increased participation by the local community of survivors looking to earn money to help feed their families and rebuild their environment.⁸ On the down side, we still hear reports⁹ that many fear of robbery and rape in the still insecure environment, as some people exploit the disaster situation, which leads us to wonder whether a higher rate or stronger focus on participative elements of relief could pose as a way to avoid and address problems of post-disaster violence and robbery?

Conceptually, an inability to formally incorporate participation in current relief work and early development efforts has been and could now be seen as an inability to let citizens become ‘masters of their own destinies’. A human-rights based approach informs us that communities are empowered¹⁰ by contributing to initiatives that exist in order to allow them to achieve a better standard of life. In practice, other disaster situations where communities have been involved in relief efforts show that participation can lead to a path of wider participation in social policy and political life¹¹, or that conversely a lack of participation can lead to difficulties in relief implementation.¹²

Could the ‘Cash for Work’ initiative offer the possibility of transforming Haiti’s human rights records by allowing citizens to engage in the organizing of public life formally? Is this a potential opportunity for transformation of society in a country where there has been a vacuum of governance and a lack of respect for human rights.¹³

In light of these observations and in order to enhance the chance that post relief situations move societies forward to societies where human rights are able to be enjoyed by all citizens, I argue that citizens should be formally and directly involved in relief efforts, in order not only to improve security in such situations but also to begin to foster a sense of self-determination and empowerment within their own society in a time of difficulty.

© 2010, Mialy Clark. All rights reserved.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 at 10:55 AM and is filed under 1st Article, 2010, WPHR Students. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.