Human rights among the dominican republic and haitian border - Research Paper Example

Study on Dominican-Haitian border human rights violation Chapter Introduction Background information Immigration has been a common practice within the human cultures where people move from and into other countries on such grounds as search of employment, as refugees or asylum seekers or even for trade. This has been evidenced by the frameworks that have been crafted within government structures of different countries to deal with the feature. Governments acknowledge that there exists immigration into or out of these countries either legally or even illegally and thus the need for regulatory frameworks. However, there are international human rights that influence government decisions surrounding immigration and which are generally accepted within the international context. Nevertheless, every nation has her foreign policies as decisions that point to the future on accounts of other nations as against her internal decisions. Subject of study This research study therefore intends to evaluate the issue of immigrations, inclusion as well as the rampant violation of human rights within and along the borders between the republics of Haiti as well as Dominica in the Caribbean region. Aims and objectives By taking interest in the theme of violations of human rights along the borders of these countries, the analysis revolves around understanding the genesis and factors that contribute to the vices. The study intends to put into perspectives the influence of international legislations that govern the rights of the refugees and asylum seekers as well as the internal concerns about the security of the countries due to the influx of refugees and asylum seekers. Moreover, the paper will address the rising concerns of the infringement of the human rights of the immigrants as they are subjected into the compulsory detentions against the provisions of the international human rights frameworks for immigrants. Research questions The questions under which the research study is to be conducted include i. How are the human rights violated in the context of crossing over from Haiti into Dominica republic? ii. How has the governments responded to rights violations as noted? Hypothesis This study intends to ascertain the authenticity of the following statements in assumption regarding the topic under study. a) Trade rivalry, differences in cultures, race as well as the skill complexion led to the rise in conflicts along the borders between the nations. b) Population pressure and poverty has been the major cause of Haitian to migrate into Dominican Republic. c) The two governments have been slow to address the violations to human rights. d) International community, through such bodies as the UN and UNHCR are slowly taking up the roe to address the violations in Dominican Republic. Chapter 2: Literature review In an analysis of the increased violation of human rights by the Dominicans towards the Haitians a along the border, Cloud noted that migration of persons from Haiti have been gradual and at alarming rates in the past. Harsh economic times, poverty as well as overpopulation result to too much pressure within the republic of Haiti making the majority of the Haitians to consider crossing over towards the neighboring country of Dominica where the prospects of better living are seen. This informs the concerns on social political stability of the country together with the likelihood of population pressure growing in the Dominican Republic. Moreover, the politicians express concern over exhaustion of the local resources through over exploitation by the overpopulation caused by the immigration from Haiti. Mistreatment of the Haitians has therefore been a common thing as informed by racial discrimination and the intention to have the migration into the Dominican Republic discouraged (Cloud, 58-59). Prejudice on racial grounds is a deep-rooted problem within the Dominican Republic where the light-skinned Dominicans perceive the dark skinned Haitians as uncivilized and inferior hence the discrimination (Murray, 19). Besides, historical political violence meted on innocent civilians left many of the Haitians vulnerable to such mistreatments. The Dominican government has been known to employ various tools of executing human rights violations against the Haitians who come into the country. Expulsions as common features where Haitian natives are expelled from Dominica through forceful evictions by military or as individual evictions. This shows great violation of human rights where proper means of deporting civilians would be employed. The government also perpetuates prejudice against the natives of Haiti origin on grounds of Culture, color as well as race. This perception has been perpetuated over long time and has become a basis of justifying violations of the rights of Haitians along the borders of the two countries. Besides, the Dominicans have developed over time very bad perceptions and attitudes towards the immigrants from Haiti where media and political rallies have been used to perpetuate the bad allegations leveled against Haitians. They are thus depicted as sub-humans, having higher incidence of diseases and highly likely to engage in terrorist acts. This escalates the levels of mistreatment leveled against the Haitians by the native Dominicans (Ferguson, 19-20). Instances of open violation of human rights between the people of Haiti and those from Dominican Republic are numerous. In such an example, Guayubin Massacre of June 2000 forms a basis of endless debates as to how legal frameworks within Dominica republic are well aware of human rights. This is because as reported though an article by the law school (BU), the massacre involved open fire from the Dominican soldiers towards innocent Haitians who tried to enter into the country. The relevance of this article as a resource for the Human rights abuses along the Dominican-Haitian border stems from the fact that, it addresses the issue of failure to honor human life and the possibility of having no institutional frameworks to care for immigrants in accordance with international human rights standards. The Guayubin Massacre is an important event demonstrating the height of human rights violations in the Dominican-Haitian border, where the occurrence in June 2000 saw 37 Haitians who were trying to cross the Dominican-Haitian border shot repeatedly by the soldiers of the armed forces of the Dominican Republic. In the incidence, seven of the victims lost their lives while the rest (who included women and children) were detained with no proper medical attention. This therefore illustrates the highest level of violations of human rights and need be highly discouraged in the 21st century. Further, the article is much relevant for this subject, since it reports on the trials of the Guayubin Massacre by the ‘Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ on November, 2012, where a unanimous decision was reached at. The Dominican Republic was charged guilty and was required to pay reparations worth $90,000 to the victims, together with an order to reform its law While drawing the permanent border, the drawing established a large foreign population in the Dominican Republic land, causing the disorientation of the Haitians who were annexed to join the Dominican Republic side. As early as 1931, the conflicts between the Dominicans and the Haitians had heightened enough, such that the Dominicans were already seeking for ways to send the Haitians back home. The article by Wucker effectively portrays the internal social relations that exists between the natives of the two countries but depicts the negativity in interactions between them. There is strong social bond by people from the same country as against those that are from the different countries. The article shows how the Haitians have been used as scapegoats to political wrongs and atrocities where they are treated as sub-humans, blamed on such vices as insecurity as well as being generally blamed on woes that befall Dominican Republic. This portrays the highest level of disregard to human dignity and it illustrates violations to the rights of humanity (Wucker, para 1-7). In yet another article by the ‘international rights group’ ( para 1-5), human right violations are shown to escalate unbearably for the Haitians who live along the borders of the countries as well as those who live within Dominica. According to the article, the wave of racism and xenophobia has swept over the Dominican Republic, which is targeting the Haitian immigrants, and workers that are within the Dominican Republic borders, as well as the dark skinned Dominicans, who are of the Haitian descent. The most widely espoused violations of the rights of Haitians is the forceful deportation of the Haiti people besides the pain inflicted on them through frequent ambushes and mob lynches as the article describes. All Haitians caught within the Dominica republic, including women as well as children have been facing forceful evictions and deportation back to Haiti. There has been a rise in physical violence against Haitians, with such a worst scene occurring in 2000 where many Haitians were killed through burning or Lynching by mobs of Dominican origin. This article uses the examples to justify the increased violation of human rights along the borders of the two countries. According to Nguye, the immigration between Dominican Republic and Haiti is characterized by the highest levels of human rights violations. The immigrants of Haiti origin face both mental and physical torture in pursuit of entry into the Dominican Republic. The article is a vital resource for the subject of Human rights abuses along the Dominican-Haitian border since it gives a comparison of the experiences in the immigration pursuits for the Dominican-Haitian citizens and that of the US. There are related experiences where violations of human rights on grounds of race differences are common features (Nguyen, para 1-3). In a more current revelation of violations of human rights along the border, the tribune did an article to show the mass detention of Haitian people as they cross over to Dominica after which deportation is commenced without trial or verification of legality of migration. According to the report, the military is said to very many Haitians on reasons of illegal immigration into the Dominican Republic. The relevance of this article as a resource for the subject of Human rights abuses along the Dominican-Haitian border is that; it offers a very recent wave of the human rights violation that are occurring in the border of the two countries. Immediately such immigrants are been caught and detained, they are taken to a police and customs station, awaiting deportation (Latin American Herald Tribune, para 1-9). The conflicts experienced along the borders of the two countries have been fueled by different reasons. In such an event, Mallen (para 1-3) reports that the ban of importation of agricultural materials from Haiti into Dominica was responsible of fueling the conflict. Many of the Haitian would also be deported because of the policy. The nature of the conflict has worsened in the border, such that no product or people from either country can be passed to the other. The governments have also hit a stalemate in their quest to have the conflict resolved. Chapter 3: Methodology This research adopts the qualitative analysis research design where data collected is critically evaluated against the research questions and hypothesis and the findings as well as conclusions are arrived at. In this study, secondary data is relied upon and is gotten through reviewing the literature on human rights violations along the borders of the two countries. Findings and analysis Trade rivalry, territorial ownership of the lands along the borders as well as discrimination against race, language as well as skin complexion have been the ,major sources of violations against human fights along the Haiti-Dominican republic boarder. These are some reasons that explain the rampant violation of human rights as observed between the two countries especially along border points. For instance, the Dominican republic hold to such policies as forceful deportation of any persons judged by the complexion of the skin not to be a native even without considering any legality in entry as presented by such a person. On the other hand, Dominican authorities are known to impose detention policies on all Haitians on suspicion even without confirming the legality of their presence within the country. Moreover, those Haitians who are permitted to live within Dominican Republic on grounds of work or such reasons, they face great problems concerning access to basic services such as education, healthcare as well as rights to shelter. There is also rampant rise in cases of physical abuse as well as underpayment by the employers towards the Haitians (Cloud, 60). Human trafficking has been one of the most troubling violations of human rights faced along the borders of the two countries. However, recent developments show increased efforts to have the challenge resolved through efforts by the UN in collaboration with the two governments involved. The UN is committed to improving and enhancing the human right across the globe and hence the efforts to intervene in the challenge between Haiti and Dominica republic. There has also been a rampant rise in cases of human trafficking along the borders of these countries as noted by Fierser (para 1-6). The governments of the two nations have also been noted to have failed in institutionalizing policies addressing the issues. Conclusion This paper therefore establishes that violation to human rights of the people along borders of Haiti as well as Dominica has been existence over many decades. The violation has been fueled by various factors such as poverty and unfavorable economic conditions within Haiti thus giving the Haitians the hope of getting favorable living within Dominican Republic. Other issues that have been pointed out towards fueling the violations has been deep rooted bad perceptions on race, cultures or skin complexion which the Dominicans have against the Haitians. On the other hand, the two republics have been shown to fail in formulating and implementing appropriate policies to govern movement of people across the borders. The legal frameworks governing the two countries fail to address these generational issues. However, there is hope with the intervention of the UN in the deep-rooted issues of violations of human rights between these two countries. Works Cited BU School of Law. “Asylum and Human Rights Clinic's Amicus Brief Calls for Justice for Guayubin Massacre Victims, and in a Unanimous Decision, Justice Was Met.” 2013. Web. 14 November 2013. . Cloud, Calla. “Human Rights Abuses along the Dominican-Haitian Border.” Topical Research Digest: Revisiting Human Rights in Latin America. N.d. 14 November 2013. < http://www.du.edu/korbel/hrhw/researchdigest/latinamerica2/digest-human%20rights%20in%20latin%20america%20vol%202-dominican-haiti.pdf>. Ferguson, James. “Migration in the Caribbean: Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Beyond” 2003. 14 November 2013. . Fieser, Ezra. “Dominican Republic Teams with UN to Fight Human Trafficking.” 2012. Web. 14 November, 2013. . International Rights Group. “Haitians Burned and Hacked to Death by Lynch Mobs, More than 20,000 Expelled by Dominican Army.” 2006. Web. 14 November 2013. . Latin American Herald Tribune. “Hundreds of Haitians Stopped at Dominican Border.” 2013. Web. 14 November 2013. . Mallen, Patricia Rey. “"Chicken War" And Flu Put Dominican Republic and Haiti at Odds” 2013. Web. 14 November 2013. . Murray, Gerald F. “Dominican-Haitian Racial and Ethnic Perceptions and Sentiments: Mutual Adaptations, Mutual Tensions, Mutual Anxieties” 2010. 14 November, 2013. . Nguyen, Trang. “Immigration Day Haiti Dominican Border” 2013. Web. 14 November, 2013. https://www.globalglimpse.org/immigration-day-haiti-dominican-border/. Wucker, Michelle, “Why the Cocks Fight: Dominicans, Haitians and the Struggle for Hispaniola” 1999. Web. 14 November, 2013. http://www2.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/bookreviews/wucker.htm. Read More