New guidelines from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today call for greater international protection for people in need from Haiti.
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The new legal guide recognizes political activists, journalists, judges, lawyers and others who fight corruption and crime, among other risk profiles, as eligible for refugee protection.
At the same time, citizens from that country may be eligible for such protection under the regional definition of refugees in the 1984 Cartagena Declaration.
This is applied by many countries in the region, but should be extended to persons affected by circumstances seriously disturbing public order in the country and by widespread violence in areas affected by gang activity.
The regulation is intended to help states assess asylum claims in light of the stark realities Haitians face today.
"The lives, safety and freedom of Haitians are threatened by the confluence of an alarming increase in gang violence and human rights violations," said Elizabeth Tan, director of UNHCR's International Protection Division.
In such a scenario, it is imperative that states ensure that Haitians in need of international protection as refugees receive it, he added.
According to this UN entity, almost half of the country's 11.4 million inhabitants require humanitarian assistance, while indiscriminate gang violence in Haiti is causing an alarming escalation.
UNHCR recorded 312,000 Haitian refugees and asylum seekers worldwide as of mid-2023.
However, the agency also noted a worrying trend of Haitians undertaking dangerous journeys across the Americas and the Caribbean, where sea crossings pose greater risks.
Given the complex challenges posed by the movement of refugees and migrants in the Americas, the Agency recognized that these can only be effectively addressed through a comprehensive and collaborative regional response.
At the same time, it reiterated its call on states not to forcibly return people to Haiti, including those whose asylum applications have been denied.