In January 2010 Haiti suffered from a magnitude 7.0 earthquake. In the months following the disaster the predominantly black Caribbean nation received millions of dollars in aid. Yet most of this revenue came with strings attached and often made its way back into the hands of the countries and corporations that donated it.
Much of this investment is being used to build luxury hotels and industrial parks, under the premise that it would create jobs and employ the Haitians. Today much of Haiti remains unchanged. Almost three years since the earthquake, less than 2,000 Haitians have actually been employed. Some foreign companies are only investing in structures that will accommodate foreign interests. There is also the rising exploitation of Haiti’s natural resources.
The lack of emphasis on rebuilding Haiti’s infrastructure is problematic because approximately 300,000 Haitians are still living in tent cities. Of these, many are unemployed. Further, those removed from their lands due to foreign investment have been compensated very little, or have not received any remuneration at all.
Sources:
Julie Levesque, “Haiti ‘Reconstruction’: Luxury Hotels, Sweat Shops and Deregulation for the Foreign Corporate Elite,” Global Research, August 16, 2013, http://www.globalresearch.ca/haiti-reconstruction-luxury-hotels-sweat-shops-and-deregulation-for-the-foreign-corporate-elite/5344546.
Isabeau Doucet, “Made in Haiti, Dumped in Haiti: Slave Labor and the Garment Industry,” Global Research, July 11, 2013, http://www.globalresearch.ca/made-in-haiti-dumped-in-haiti-slave-labor-and-the-garment-industry/5342396.
Haiti Grassroots Watch, “Haiti ‘Open for Business’: Sourcing Slave Labor for U.S.-Based Companies,” Global Research, March 18, 2013, http://www.globalresearch.ca/haiti-open-for-business-sourcing-slave-labor-for-u-s-based-companies/5327292.
Bill Quigley and Amber Ramanauskas, “Haiti: Seven Places Where Earthquake Money Did and Did Not Go,” Common Dreams, January 3, 2012, https://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/01/03-2.
Student Researcher: Jephie Bernard (Florida Atlantic University)
Faculty Evaluator: James F. Tracy (Florida Atlantic University)