By Jacqueline Charles
jcharles@MiamiHerald.com
More than three years after Haiti’s devastating earthquake, there are 279,000 people still living in squalid encampments, an 82 percent drop, the International Organization for Migration said Friday.
Also, the number of tent cities have dropped by 77 percent since the country was struck by a 7.0 massive quake on Jan. 12, 2010. The disaster left more than 300,000 dead and 1. 5 million homeless. The latest quake-homeless census was recorded between April and June, IOM said.
During the period, 33 camp sites also closed, with many tent dwellers moving into more suitable housing as a result of a government-led relocation initiative that provides a year’s rental assistance. The funds have been subsidized by the international community. Still, concerns over forced evictions remain, where there are still 352 tent cities mostly in the capital. International human rights groups and the United Nation have called on President Michel Martelly to do more to protect the rights of homeless quake victims.
In May, Martelly inaugurated one of the few new post-quake housing developments. Located on the outskirts of the capital in Morne-à-Cabrit, it features 3,000 homes, 1,500 of which have been completed.
Out of sight.
Out of mind.
They are still there.
They have just been moved around.