A Child Rights-Based Approach to Reconstruction in Haiti
Intercultural Human Rights Law Review, Vol. 6, pp. 43-85, 2011
Georgia State University College of Law, Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2011-18
45 Pages Posted: 23 Jul 2011 Last revised: 3 Nov 2011
Date Written: July 22, 2011
Abstract
The January 2010 earthquake in Haiti created a major humanitarian crisis for all of Haiti’s population, not least for its children. The devastation resulting from any large scale natural disaster raises numerous children’s rights issues. Immediately following the Haiti earthquake, however, public attention focused largely, and selectively, on only certain issues confronting children, most notably the threat of trafficking. Anti-trafficking initiatives are essential, but isolating trafficking as an issue can lead to overlooking the structural issues that heighten children’s vulnerability to being trafficked as well as other equally pressing children’s rights violations. This symposium essay proposes a more holistic rights-based approach to the post-earthquake reconstruction effort in Haiti. The essay delineates the range of rights violations children have suffered, explores the interrelationship among these rights, and outlines measures needed to foster the realization of all children’s rights and well-being.
Keywords: children's rights, human rights, Haiti, human trafficking, natural disaster, international law
JEL Classification: I10, I20, I31, J71, K32, K33, O19, O20
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation