LHDDH's Assessment of National Decline and Call for Citizen Mobilization

PORT-AU-PRINCE.— In a poignant statement released on Tuesday, the Haitian League for Human Rights Defense (LHDDH) paints an alarming picture of the country's situation and solemnly calls for the collective responsibility of citizens. The LHDDH thus denounces the prolonged state of decay in which our nation finds itself. While the Haitian state struggles to fulfill its fundamental duties, the security of the population, access to food, and the guarantee of essential human dignity rights seem relegated to an abstraction, and the country sinks deeper into chaos each day. A Failed State, an Abandoned Population “Every day, lives are extinguished in general indifference.” This chilling observation is at the heart of the message delivered by the LHDDH. The organization denounces the state's loss of control over the entire national territory and the collapse of public institutions. The league recalls that “thousands of families, fleeing armed violence, find refuge in schools, public buildings, or makeshift camps, without the slightest assistance,” while the government uses maneuvers to evict IDPs from makeshift camps without truly offering a viable perspective to these people. The education system, long a pillar of hope and reconstruction, is also threatened with disappearance. The Ministry of National Education, powerless in the face of administrative paralysis and security challenges, can no longer guarantee access to school for a majority of Haitian children. A Vibrant Call to Public Awareness In this context of widespread crisis, the LHDDH urges the population to no longer await miracle solutions from a failing central power. “Rise up,” the organization insists, in a call for unity, action, and citizen resistance. It is no longer about denouncing, but about acting, the League emphasizes: demanding security, requiring transparency, and supporting social reconstruction efforts. “The right to live with dignity, as guaranteed by our Constitution and international human rights instruments, cannot be negotiated or deferred. It must be defended by all possible civic means,” affirms Jemps Méralus, executive director of the LHDDH. Insufficient Institutional Efforts While commending the efforts of the Haitian National Police (PNH) in its fight against insecurity, the LHDDH emphasizes that these initiatives are largely hampered by logistical shortcomings, limited resources, and a glaring lack of governmental coordination. “The bravery of some cannot compensate for the inertia of the entire system,” insists the organization's official. In its call for the awakening of national consciousness, the league invites citizens to make human dignity a collective matter, mobilizing the vital forces of society. Far from settling for a grim diagnosis, it proposes a path to salvation: that of structured popular mobilization, renewed civic engagement, and uncompromising demands on the authorities. The organization encourages the population to reclaim public spaces, protect residential areas, rebuild community solidarity, and refuse the normalization of violence and despair. For a Strong Diplomacy and Recovered Sovereignty Finally, the LHDDH advocates for a renewed national diplomacy, capable of defending the interests of the Haitian people on the international stage and seeking forms of assistance respectful of the country's sovereignty. “The future of Haiti rests in our collective hands,” the league adds. “Let us not let our nation sink into oblivion. Let us mobilize for a living, dignified, and sovereign Haiti,” concluding that every Haitian must rise to demand the security owed to them, to reclaim the lost space on their territory, to restore and celebrate life within our nation, and to impose a strong and supportive diplomacy capable of restoring hope to a wounded nation.