Recommended HLLN Link: Part 1: Fallen Angel Beloved Haitian missionary built aid dynasty Part 2: The Poverty trap - Mission Sex Part 3: A charity torn apart http://www.margueri telaurent. com/law/duarte. html ********** Extreme Oath of the Roman Catholic Vatican Trained Jesuit Priests: “I promise and declare that I will, when opportunity presents, make and wage relentless war, secretly or openly, against all heretics, Protestants and Liberals, as I am directed to do… to extirpate and exterminate them from the face of the whole earth; and that I will spare neither age, sex, or condition: and that I will hang, burn, waste, boil, flay, strangle and bury alive these infamous heretics, rip up the stomachs and wombs of their women and crush their infants’ heads against the walls, in order to annihilate forever their execrable race. That when the same cannot be done openly, I will secretly use the poison cup, the strangulating cord, the steel of the poniard (a dagger) or the leaden bullet, regardless of the honor, rank, dignity, or authority of the person or persons, whatever may be their condition in life, either public or private, as I at ant time may be directed so to do by any agent of the pope or superior of the brotherhood of the holy faith, of the Society of Jesus.â€� â€" ( Subterranean Rome by Carlos Didier, translated from the French and published in New York in 1843 and as quoted from a Vatican trained ex-Jesuit Priest, Dr. Alberto Rivera) http://www.reformat ion.org/oath. html ************ "Similar to findings that rogue police officers with numerous complaints are often stationed in neighborhoods largely populated by Blacks and Latinos who lack economic and political power, and despite denials from the Catholic Church, a similar dynamic appears to be at work with offending Catholic priests finding themselves quietly transferred to parishes in Black and Latino neighborhoods. " Catholic Church accused of denying justice to Blacks abused by priestshttp://www.finalcal l.com/artman/ publish/National _News_2/article_ 6632.shtml Catholic Church accused of denying justice to Blacks abused by priestsBy Ashahed M. Muhammad -Asst. Editor- | Dec 8, 2009 Black victims of sex abuse charge inaction, cover-up by the Catholic Church
Part I of a series Mr. Aaron, a legal representative for dozens of Black men who allegedly were sexually abused by Catholic priests while in their teens, is leading the charge on behalf of his clients, who claim the religious hierarchy was slow to respond to their complaints, and once responding, were uneven in their dispensation of financial compensation and subsequent counseling services that were made available to White victims. “Somebody had to help these guys,� Atty. Aaron told The Final Call “I think that I would die if I didn't.� For the last nine years, Atty. Aaron has worked on behalf of at least 50 Black victims of pedophiles. Some say the abuse began when they were as young as age nine. David Nolan, now 42, said his sordid tale of sexual abuse by a Catholic priest began when he was 13 years old. He said the priest used his position of authority and power to have sex with dozens of young boys at will, and seemingly without fear of punishment. “We put them (priests) on pedestals almost to the point where I thought they were more than superhuman in a sense,� said Mr. Nolan. At one time, Mr. Nolan tried to tell, however, when he went to the Chicago Police, they called him a liar and laughed at him. Scared with no resources and no protection, Mr. Nolan's victimizer forced him to recant. Even after many complaints by members of the congregation, his victimizer was transferred to a bigger church on Chicago's Southside. “No one cares about young Black boys being molested, but I'm reading in the news everyday how holy hell is being raised by White victims being sexually abused,� said Mr. Nolan, who said a young male relative was also sexually abused by the same priest. Reginald Montgomery's nightmare of abuse also began at age 13, when he was homeless after being kicked out of the house. He looked up to his priest as a father figure, until one evening the priest told him he could sleep upstairs in the rectory. The seemingly benevolent priest came and woke him up. “I felt somebody rubbing on me.� Mr. Montgomery said when he opened his eyes, “He was standing there in his underwear.� “He just did what he wanted. I tried to get him off me, but he was stronger then me. He actually raped me,� said Mr. Mongtomery. David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), said the guarded and mysterious nature of the inner-workings of the Catholic Church throughout history were key factors creating an atmosphere where priests could engage in this type of sexual abuse, almost at will. “For centuries the (Catholic) Church hierarchy has been a rigid, secretive, all male monarchy and remains so today; that is the crux of the crisis right there,� said Mr. Clohessy. “With virtually no checks and balances, you have almost limitless power in the hands of a few secretive men. That alone is a recipe for disaster,� he added. According to their website, SNAP “is the nation's oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims.� For its part, the Roman Catholic Church has acknowledged this problem, with an intensified effort and focus over the last two decades in which a number of institutional controls have been put in place. According to officials from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, every effort is being made to resolve cases of sexual abuse involving priests in order to right the wrongs of the past, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred. In an exclusive interview with The Final Call at the administrative offices of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago on Nov. 13, John O'Malley, director of the Legal Services Department, while acknowledging that institutional racism and bias exists, categorically denied there was inequity in the treatment of Black and White victims of abuse by Catholic priests that were a part of the Chicago Archdiocese. “It's not true,� said Mr. O'Malley, adding that he had spoken several times with Atty. Aaron regarding allegations of racial disparity. “The first was that Blacks receive less in settlements than Whites; that's not true. The second is Blacks are demeaned in the process; that's not true. And the third is (Black) people are offered less in counseling services than White people; that's not true. None of those three allegations are true,� said Mr. O'Malley. “Cases are unique, they are individual and they are based on a lot of circumstances,� Mr. O'Malley added. At the time of The Final Call interview, no official numbers were available, Mr. O'Malley said he looked into the charges made by Atty. Aaron's clients and said he was “disappointed� that the race issue has continuously been raised. He challenged Atty. Aaron to identify the financial disparity in the records of those clients who have received financial settlements. However, on November 20, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago delivered a report to The Final Call complied by the law firm Pugh, Jones, Johnson and Quant. According to the report, there was no evidence of racial discrimination during the review or settlement process. “It has never been an Archdiocesan practice to compile statistics about abuse claims based on race or ethnicity. However, it felt compelled to do so when these allegations were made,� read the statement from the Chicago Archdiocese. “The outside investigators found no evidence in determining monetary settlements. They also found no evidence to suggest that the review and settlement process differed based on race.� In the 27-page report, the law firm did indicate that the “perception of having been demeaned is disproportionately felt by African-American claimants.� This was attributed to the fact that a quarter of the claims brought by Blacks were against a cleric who is a member of the Benedictine Order of St. Procopius Abbey. According to the law firm, it employed a “deposition-style statement� in its evaluation and settlement process that differs from the process used by the Chicago Archdiocese. Any other differences in settlement amounts were attributed to “race neutral factors.� A crisis in the Catholic Church
The late Pope John Paul II, in an April 23, 2002 address to the Cardinals of the U.S. and officers of the USCCB, said the sexual abuse of young people is “by every standard wrong and rightly considered a crime by society; it is also an appalling sin in the eyes of God.� In his message at Washington Nationals Stadium on April 17, 2008 to the Catholic faithful, Pope Benedict XVI addressed challenges facing the Catholic Church regarding pedophilia within Catholic clergy. “No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse,� said the pope. “It is important that those who have suffered be given loving pastoral attention. Nor can I adequately describe the damage that has occurred within the community of the Church,� he added. In a 2004 letter written by Francis Cardinal George to all of the parishes within the Chicago Archdiocese, he wrote, “The Church is called to be holy; for our sanctification, Christ died. The Church has saints, but each saint is a reformed sinner. The sins of each harm us all. Each day I pray for those who have been sexually abused by priests of the Archdiocese. No matter when or how that abuse occurred, terrible harm, spiritual and psychological and sometimes physical, was inflicted. I pray also for the priests who have to face the Lord and his people as well as themselves.� In 1990, Francis Cardinal George was appointed a Bishop by then Pope John Paul II and served on the West Coast. In 1997, he was named Archbishop of Chicago. Francis Cardinal George, also serves as president of the USCCB, a position he has held since 2007. In Mr. Clohessy's view, the words as well as the collective actions of the Roman Catholic hierarchy are “largely public relations,� however, representatives from the Church say that transparency, and a continuous outreach effort is being made to right the wrongs of the past. Large financial settlements Media reports of financial settlements awarded to victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests are heard daily with dollar figures climbing into the millions. As a case in point, the Archdiocese of Chicago has paid out millions in financial settlements to victims of sexual misconduct and abuse involving priests over the years. According to their 2008 annual report, the Archdiocese of Chicago paid out $11 million in fiscal year 2008, $8.6 million in fiscal year 2007 and $17.7 million in fiscal year 2006. For the period covering fiscal years 2001 through 2007, the Archdiocese of Chicago paid a total of $64.7 million “for settlements of sexual misconduct, related legal expenses and other costs related to direct victim assistance,� according to financial reports. On August 12, 2008, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced a $12.675 million financial settlement to be paid to 16 victims of sexual abuse by eleven Catholic priests and as recently as July 21, 2009, announced another $3.9 million financial settlement to be paid to six victims of sexual abuse involving four former Catholic priests between 1970 and 1986. Mr. Clohessy says despite the large financial settlements, the Roman Catholic Church is not being financially crippled and the filings by various U.S. Catholic dioceses seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in advance of civil trials are simply used as part of the cover-up strategy. Seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection halts action in civil lawsuits and bars the filing of new suits while the church reorganizes its finances. Wilmington, Delaware, Davenport, Iowa, Spokane, Washington, San Diego, California and Tucson, Arizona are just some of the dioceses that used Chapter 11 bankruptcy to allegedly shield themselves from claims by victims. “The common denominator is they all filed for bankruptcy on the eve of a trial at which the bishop was going to have to take the witness stand and put his hand on that Bible, and face tough questions in open court about what he did,� said Mr. Clohessy. “The bottom line is what the bishops fear is their own complicity (being) scrutinized and they will do anything to prevent that, even if it means seeking bankruptcy protection,� he added. Black Catholics in the U.S. It would not be unusual if an image of a Black person did not immediately come to mind when thinking of adherents to Catholicism. The vast majority of Catholics in Chicago are White and Latino, and the same is true nationwide. The Chicago Archdiocese serves a little over 2.3 million Catholics, of those, approximately 90,000 or 4 percent are Black. According to the Department of Communications for the USCCB, there are a little over 68 million Catholics in the U.S., and of those, 3 million are Black. Of the 195 archdioceses and dioceses in the U.S., only six are led by Black Bishops. There are 41,489 diocesan and religious order priests in the U.S., with only 250 being Black. Of 16 Cardinals in the U.S., none are Black. Similar to findings that rogue police officers with numerous complaints are often stationed in neighborhoods largely populated by Blacks and Latinos who lack economic and political power, and despite denials from the Catholic Church, a similar dynamic appears to be at work with offending Catholic priests finding themselves quietly transferred to parishes in Black and Latino neighborhoods. “The sad fact is they are less inclined to tell if abuse occurred, less inclined to be believed if they do report it, distrustful of law enforcement and more trusting of religious authorities,� said Mr. Clohessy. “People coming forward to talk about being abused by priests is a difficult thing,� said Mr. O'Malley. “Priests are trust figures in their lives like a parent or a family member and talking about that is hard, so I would not speak harshly of anyone who said it was a difficult process,� he added. “This is true racism in America,� said Mr. Nolan. “We found out that the Catholic Church doesn't have love for young Black Catholics. “We were young devout Black Catholics who cared about God, who were good kids, not in gangs, not in trouble, but this man took our innocence and they helped cover it up.� (Coming soon: Part II: “The Silent Screams of the Victims.�) ************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ******* Forwarded by Ezili's Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network ************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ******** |
INFORMATION, NEWS; OPINIONS POLITIQUES -- Vous êtes sur le Blog du journaliste Cyrus Sibert. Subscribe to www.youtube.com/reseaucitadelle
jeudi 17 décembre 2009
Catholic Church accused of denying justice to Blacks abused by priests
mardi 15 décembre 2009
Bulletin météo du mardi 15 décembre 2009.
Valable jusqu'au 17 décembre 2009 Situation synoptique dans la Caraïbe et sur l'Atlantique La zone de haute pression de l'atlantique et la zone de basse pression au nord de l'Amérique du sud favorisent l'écoulement d'un vent modéré à fort au niveau du bassin de la caraïbe aujourd'hui et demain. Prévisions pour Haïti * Temps ensoleillé ce matin ; * Quelques passages nuageux en après-midi et en début de soirée ; * Températures agréables au cours de la journée, fraiches en fin de nuit; * Chance de pluie isolée légère ce soir dans le sud-est, le sud et les nippes. Prévisions pour Port-au-Prince et environs · Temps clément ce matin ; · Quelques nuages en fin de journée ; · Tº. max. : 33ºC ; Tº min: 22ºC ; · Faible chance de pluie ce soir. Lever & coucher du soleil pour Port-au-Prince Aujourd'hui 15 dec. Lever : 06h 14 mn Coucher : 05h 15 mn Mercredi 16 dec. Lever : 06h 15 mn Coucher : 05h 16 mn Jeudi 17 dec. Lever : 06h 15 mn Coucher : 05h 16 mn Jacquet Jackson, Prévisionniste au CNM Bulletin météo marine du mardi 15 décembre 2009 Valable jusqu'au 16 décembre 2009 Prévisions maritimes: Zone côtière nord : Mardi & mercredi * Vent du secteur est sud-est: 15-20 nœuds ; diminuant de : 10-15 nœuds mercredi ; * Hauteur des vagues : 7 à 9 pieds aujourd'hui, mais allant de : 4 à 6 pieds demain ; * Mer plus ou moins agitée ; * Les voiliers doivent prendre des précautions en mer. Golfe de la Gonâve : Mardi & mercredi * Vent du secteur nord-est à est : 20-25 nœuds; * Hauteur des vagues : 8 à 10 pieds ; * Mer agitée notamment au large; * Il est conseillé aux voiliers de ne pas s'aventurer en haute mer. Zone côtière sud : Mardi & mercredi * Vent du secteur nord-est à est : 20-25 nœuds ; * Hauteur des vagues : 8 à 12 pieds ; * Mer agitée surtout au large. Par conséquent, il est demandé aux capitaines des petites embarcations de ne pas s'aventurer trop en haute mer aujourd'hui et demain. Jacquet Jackson, Prévisionniste au CNM |
About Douglas Perlitz...
December 15, 2009 Amber Gray |
Sasha Kramer is not credible and irresponsible in defense of Doug Perlitz.
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lundi 14 décembre 2009
[Cyrus Sibert à Stanley Lucas] --- L'OBLIGATION EST FAITE AU PEUPLE ET A FANMI LAVALAS DE RELEVER LE DEFI
| Stanley, Je partage ton opinion sur l'intégration des militants du Parti Lavalas. Je connais des Lavalassiens qui souffrent par le fait qu'ils cherchent à rester fidèles au Parti. Il faut bouger les choses. Ce sont des militants que nous avions combattus en 2003 et qui finalement, avec le temps, cherchent à exercer un leadership démocratiquement correct dans le sens du progrès. Ces jeunes qui sont des professionnels de la politique, n'ont d'autre alternative d'intégration que l'exercice du pouvoir politique ou la participation. On ne peut pas les condamner à l'exclusion. Ils ont le droit de participer. Un leadership qui cherche à les maintenir dans l'exclusion avec l'idée qu'ils adopteront une position radicale de violence politique capable de maintenir le pays dans l'instabilité fait fausse route. Aujourd'hui, les jeunes de 18 ans n'ont pas connu 1990, ils connaissent mal Aristide. Dans 5 ou 10 ans, ce sera un souvenir comme d'autres. Peut-être il y aura des Fans club de Titid, comme on le voit pour Bob Marley et autres personnalités qui jouissent d'une popularité. Mais cela s'arrêtera là. Ceux qui refusaient de comprendre les raisons pour lesquelles on ne pouvait pas accepter les agissements d'Aristide en 2003 sont devenus plus ouverts. Cela permet de découvrir chez eux des qualités extraordinaires, un esprit de solidarité et de sacrifice et un sens patriotique qui méritent RESPECT. Aujourd'hui, ils ne sont plus des gamins naïfs, mais des pères et mères de familles. Ils ont des responsabilités. Ils doivent donner à manger chaque jour, payer le loyer, acheter de biens pour la boite à lunch des enfants, faire face aux frais de santé, supporter les grands parents... A ce niveau, on devient plus réaliste. On se laisse manipuler difficilement par un ex-président bien installé en Afrique du Sud, aux frais des contribuables africains. C'est là réalité! Le Président Aristide - nous disons président pour marquer du respect pour ses partisans, même quand nos opinions sur l'homme n'ont pas changé - doit le comprendre. Cette stratégie ne marchera pas. Il droit libérer Fanmi Lavalas et permettre aux jeunes leaders de redéfinir leur combat dans le cadre d'une nouvelle stratégie. Le principal obstacle qui empêche Jean-Bertrand Aristide de rentrer en Haïti est la peur de voir ces leaders désabusés et affranchis de ses dictats se liguer contre lui. Cyrus Sibert, Cap-Haitien, Haiti --- En date de : Lun 14.12.09, Stanley Lucas <centurionlucas@gmail.com> a écrit : De: Stanley Lucas <centurionlucas@gmail.com> Objet: [GrandsDébats] Re: L’OBLIGATION ESR FAITE AU PEUPLE ET A FANMI LAVALAS DE RELEVER LE DEFI À: VINOUSH@yahoogroupes.fr Cc: grandsdebats@yahoogroups.com Date: Lundi 14 Décembre 2009, 17h38 La Fanmi Lavalas est une organisation divisee. La plupart des membres de son leadership ont prefere ceder a la corruption de l'Unite. Pour mieux comprendre la dynamique de Lafanmi j'invite les internautes a lire ma lettre a Jean Betrand Aristide: Lettre Ouverte de Stanley Lucas a Jean Bertrand Aristide Representant National de Fanmi Lavalas M. Jean Betrand Aristide Representant National Fanmi Lavalas M. Aristide: Depuis cinq ans vous vivez en Afrique du Sud, deconnecte a la realite Haitienne. Tres loin du pays, pour regner en maitre, depuis cinq ans vous sabotez les efforts d'unite du parti Fanmi Lavalas. Par ces actions vous sabotez l'avenir des jeunes professionels et militants lavalassien non impliques comme vous dans les demandes officielles d'occupations depuis 1994, dans la corruption, la violence politique, la manipulation electorale et le trafique de la drogue. Aristide, vous avez choisi Maryse Narcisse pour semer le vent de la division au sein du parti Fanmi Lavalas. Ce faisant vous avez choisi la strategie de Jean Claude Duvalier qui depuis 23 ans maintient la division au sein des Duvalieristes pour bloquer l'emergence d'un leadership de ce parti en Haiti. Veronique Roy seme le vent de la division chez les Duvalieristes, comme Maryse Narcisse le fait pour vous chez les lavalassien. Duvalier le fait depuis vingt trois ans, vous le faites depuis cinq ans. Aristide, combien de temps va durer cette comedie? Vingt trois ans? Le parti lavalas sous votre leadership avait une opportunite historique de moderniser Haiti. Vous avez prefere l'elimination des opposants, l'occupation, la corruption. Vous avez choisi d'armer les jeunes au lieu de les eduquer. Aujourd'hui vous avez abandonne Amaral Duclona qui se battait avec des armes pour votre retour et selon vos instructions. Son operation Paka Tan'n c'etait pour vous Aristide. Comme Judas, comme un chien vous l'avez abandonne, l'homme qui etait pret a mourir pour vous. Lachete? Traitrise? Ce n'est pas votre premiere fois, je me souviens du sort que vous aviez reserve a Amyot Metayer, un homme qui vous servait. Pourquoi les lavalassien d'Haiti devraient-ils rester fideles au fils de Judas? Apres le coup d'etat de 1991 au lieu de rentrer dans votre pays avec le courage de Charlemagne Peralte comme l'a fait le president Zelaya apres le coup d'etat militaire au Honduras, vous avez prefere detruire l'economie du pays avec un embargo economique en 1992 suivi de votre demande officielle d'intervention militaire de 1994. Aristide, comme d'autres avant vous, vous aurez a faire votre confession et l'histoire ne manquera pas de vous donner la place que vous meritez. Je suis contre l'exclusion de Fanmi Lavalas du processus electoral de Fevrier 2010, je ne partage pas la politique de l'exclusion que vous avez pratique dans le passe. Mais vous devez, Aristide, assumer votre part de responsabilite dans cette affaire. Au lieu de vous retirer avec les membres de votre parti qui pataugeaient dans la corruption, vous avez prefere, dans votre egoisme de toujours, rendre la tache facile a Rene Preval en restant. Vous etes vraiment petit Titide, vous avez trahi la patrie et les lavalassien. Le president Peron de l'Argentine avait su se retirer pour donner une chance a son parti. Mais vous, vous pensez toujours a votre petite personne et non aux autres, au pays, c'est pourquoi que vous le vouliez ou pas Aristide, vous faites partie du passe. Les jeunes lavalassien d'Haiti l'ont compris, les reformes auront lieu ou le parti disparaitra. Adieu Aristide. Stanley Lucas |
Action en justice intentée contre: Jean Bertrand Aristide, Jean Pierre Duperval, Faubert Gustave, Rodnee Deschineau, Lesly Lavelanet, Fred Beliard, Alphonse Inevil, Adrian Corr et Mont Salem Management LTD.
Action en justice intentée contre: Jean Bertrand Aristide, Jean Pierre Duperval, Faubert Gustave, Rodnee Deschineau, Lesly Lavelanet, Fred Beliard, Alphonse Inevil, Adrian Corr et Mont Salem Management LTD. In the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida |
Desperate for aid, Haitians accept abuse.
Desperate for aid, Haitians accept abuse One of the youths who claims he was sexually abused by a Canadian aid worker talks about the abuse in a home in Haiti.  Photograph by: Rob Gurdebeke, The Windsor Star PORT-au-PRINCE, Haiti -- He was 16, and like most Haitian teens, surviving on street smarts. One day, he accepted a job helping a humanitarian aid worker carry supplies to his home. "After I finished he asked me to come back for a talk," recalled the man, now 23, speaking Creole through an interpreter. The aid worker offered him money for sex, the man alleges, and a relationship began. "It was to pay for school for me. That was the main reason. If you do it for me I pay for school." When his family found out, they were furious at their son and his sex-for-pay partner. But they were reluctant to walk away from a precious income stream. Unemployment exceeds 75 per cent in his tiny village. "They wanted me to stop. But they felt, if I stop, the money would be cut off." Hanging his head and kneading his brow, the slightly built young man, now a father himself, and a second alleged victim, now 19, recalled their relationships with the Canadian aid worker in interviews arranged by their town elders. Caribbean cultures, heavily influenced by the Roman Catholic Church, frown upon homosexuality, and one of the men said he was shunned. "A lot of people knew," said the 23-year-old. "People were really mad but they were afraid money would be cut off.… I'm not alone because other people were abused that way," he said. The 19-year-old, tall with a swimmer's physique, said his sexual relationship began at 13, at a school where the aid worker volunteered. "I was a kid," he said. "I didn't know good or bad. I needed the help for school, food, family and everything. He said you do it with me. If I don't do that I couldn't go to school. My family has no job. I don't like it. I know it was not good for Haitian (society). I feel shame. I never told (him) how I felt. I thought it would not be good for me." Mission sex — it's Haiti's dirty little secret. The western world's poorest country is, according to one aid worker, a "perfect storm" of socio-economic conditions for abuse by visiting humanitarians. It's tropical temperatures and breathtaking natural beauty are easily, and cheaply, accessible from North America. Heavily dependent on foreign aid and with virtually no regulation of its schools and orphanages, Haiti's justice system is ill-equipped to deal with a rising tide of sex tourism. Peacekeeping troops, aid workers, non-governmental organization employees, priests and missionaries engage in sexual exploitation with arrogant impunity, according to Save the Children, the world's largest children's rights organization. And, sadly, they say, when dollars are dangled as bait, many Haitians will turn a blind eye. "All those who come here know this is a very poor country, that there are few opportunities for youth," said Margarett Lubin, Save the Children's local child protection manager. "When financial opportunities are offered, the children enter relationships.… Do their communities see it as exploitation or do they see it as opportunity?" Haiti has neither adequate sex-offender laws nor the police to enforce them. That helps explain why sex-tourist exporters such as Canada and the U.S. are doing the job themselves, using provisions in their criminal codes. Consider: • Windsor Priest Rev. John Duarte faces nine counts of sexually exploiting adolescent boys in Port-au-Prince and the northern village of Labadie, where he ran a mission, following a two-year investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police and RCMP. • American missionary Douglas Perlitz faces nearly identical charges in nearby Cap Haitien for allegedly abusing nine boys at the school he founded for poor children. That case is before the courts in the U.S. • Quebec humanitarian workers Armand Huard and Denis Rochefort were sentenced in 2008 to prison terms on multiple counts of sexually touching boys between the ages of 13 and 16 at a Haitian orphanage in Les Cayes. Before his arrest Huard, 65, had been hailed by supporters as a "veritable Quebecois Mother Teresa." • The entire 950-member peace keeping force from Sri Lanka was expelled from Haiti in 2007 in the wake of sex crimes against Haitian nationals, including alleged sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of minors, prostitution and rape. Andrew Thomson, Haiti campaign manager for Amnesty International Canada, said the problem is probably much larger than official data suggest because Haiti creates a "perfect storm" for such crimes to flourish. "There's a level of impunity in Haiti because of its largely dysfunctional justice system," he said. "The victims do not have access to the courts and the police are woefully under-resourced.… Though many of them are committed you're also dealing with rogue lawyers, judges and police. The international community is trying to strengthen the justice system but corruption is widespread." An estimated three million Haitian children live in vulnerable and impoverished conditions, and the UN says 47 per cent of sexual assaults reported in Haiti involve minors. Yet the Hatian National Police's child-protection brigade is woefully understaffed. Its US$20,000 annual budget is enough to conduct four to six investigations, said Commissioner Renel Costume. HOW MANY OFFICERS DOES IT HAVE? The unit requires 10 times the officers it now deploys across the country, Costume said. While Save the Children is quick to point out that humanitarian workers engaging in sexual exploitation are in the minority, a May 2008 study commissioned by the organization showed such abuse is vastly underreported. The authors interviewed children in shelters cross the country, and their stories were harrowing. A young street girl was paid $1 and then violently raped by a man working for an NG0. "He gave her one American dollar and the little girl was happy to see the money," a witness said. "It was two in the morning. The man took her and raped her. In the morning the little girl could not walk." Asked by researchers why abuse is not reported to authorities representing the aid organizations, orphanages or missions, one Haitian girl said: "The people who are raping us and the people in the office are the same people." In interviews arranged by Save the Children, five Port-au-Prince prostitutes nodded in a agreement while a sixth told of abuse at the hands of United Nations peacekeepers. It was after 11 p.m. she said, around Carnival time, and the downtown Port-au-Prince streets where she had been turning tricks since she was 12 were dark, save for the National Palace lights in the distance. The vehicle approached slowly and one of the soldiers called her over. She could not identify which international peacekeeping contingent they belonged to. They were only shadows in the pitch black night. But, she remembered, there were two in front and one in the rear. "They pulled me in the back," she said through an interpreter. "I had sex with all of them. When I held out my hand to be paid, he pointed a gun at me and said get out. They left me there." Jean-Marie Roger, project co-ordinator for Save the Children in Port-au-Prince, said prostitutes tell him that much of the abuse from customers comes from UN troops, "because they have the means to force them." He acknowledged the woman was a prostitute, an orphan who had been on the streets for more than 10 years, and unlikely to garner the same sympathy as an abused child. "The very poor will accept," said Albert Meme, a village elder in the fishing community of Labadie. "They need money to survive.… But when I was 15 things like that did not happen in the village. It did not happen 10 years before. Now it has changed." © Copyright (c) The Windsor Star |
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