Law & Justice

TOWARDS A MORE ACCOUNTABLE HUMANITARIAN SECTOR March 21, 2018 The Oxfam sex abuse scandal in Haiti is just the tip of the iceberg of unaccountable humanitarian action, and demonstrates the urgent need for improved accountability across the humanitarian aid sector. Sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) is prevalent in the aid community: one report found that 23 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Haiti have had a sexual exploitation problem. Like Oxfam, NGOs often do not treat staff SEA as a legal matter or provide remedies to the victims.  Legal obligations exist, but NGOs ignore them. As with SEA, other accountability failures create anger and tension with local communities, and undermine humanitarian actors’ effectiveness. These include failures in aid delivery, sustainability of development projects and, in the case of the United Nations in Haiti, immunity that results in impunity for recklessly introducing cholera. […]

BUREAU DES AVOCATS INTERNATIONAUX 3, 2ème rue Lavaud B.P. 19048 Port-au-Prince, Haiti 509 2943 2106 / 07 Fax 2244-7986 Email:  avokahaiti@aol.com                                                                        Port-au-Prince, le 14 mars 2018 Le BAI Dénonce la Nomination d’un Ex-Tortionnaire du coup d’état sanglant du 30 septembre 1991 au soi-disant Haut Etat-Major des Forces Armées d’Haïti Dowloand the English version of this press release HERE. Note de Presse Le Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), dans sa mission première de défendre les droits des plus démunis, les droits inaliénables, imprescriptibles et inhérents à la personne humaine, en particulier ceux des victimes du terrorisme d’Etat, du choléra  importé par la Mission des Nations Unies […]

  BAI and IJDH Continue to Fight for the Dignity of the Haitian People in Haiti and in the U.S. Last month, the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) joined the Haitian community in the United States and in Haiti in denouncing President Trump‘s disparaging remarks about Haiti, El Salvador, and all African countries. IJDH’s Brian Concannon told a crowd at a rally in Boston that, “President Trump’s remarks about Haiti are false. They are an affront to the dignity of the Haitian people and the American people.” Meanwhile in Haiti, the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI)’s Managing Attorney Mario Joseph decried the president’s comment while attending a grassroots activist’s protest at the U.S. Embassy in Port-Au-Prince. “On many occasions in the past we have been victims of imperialist countries, particularly the United States,” said Joseph rebuking Trump’s vulgar comments […]

Homophobia has long been a problem in Haiti, and staff at Kouraj (a LGBT rights organization focused on improving treatment towards LGBT people in Haiti) say it’s only gotten worse since the 2010 earthquake. Chachou Jean Francois, a transgender group leader and youth educator at Kouraj, is the arrival of foreign evangelicals imposing their views. After the 2010 earthquake, many of the organizations that rushed to Haiti to help were christian evangelical groups. It is   widely believed in Haiti’s LGBT community that Christian fundamentalism spread, along with anti-LGBT sentiment.   Read More HERE. Why it’s gotten harder for LGBT people in Haiti since the earthquake By Amy Bracken, February 6, 2018 The name of Haiti’s most prominent LGBT rights organization is Kouraj (Haitian Creole for courage) — with good reason. The group’s headquarters have moved three times after attacks. The current office is […]

 The Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) along with its sister organization the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) continues to fight for Haiti’s prisoners’ rights by challenging the country’s justice system to respect the fundamental human rights of every single Haitian citizen.  We invite you to watch this 60-second video produced by our partner the New Media Advocacy Project titled “The Men of the Cell 5.”

About Us Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) has successfully helped Haitians enforce their human rights since 2004. The Institute partners with Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) to support grassroots struggles for justice in Haiti and in the powerful countries abroad where decisions about Haitians’ rights are often made. IJDH and BAI combine traditional legal strategies with organizing, emerging technology, and public advocacy to address the root causes of instability and poverty in Haiti. We fight for justice with routinely excellent legal work, but also with creativity, humility, inspiration and humor, and a supportive work culture. We effect broad changes with modest resources by nurturing large advocacy networks. 2018 Legal Internship IJDH seeks legal interns to work on advocacy and legal cases, including our groundbreaking work to hold the UN accountable for introducing cholera to Haiti, and other human rights projects on an as-needed basis […]