UN expert: Haitifaces deepening human rights crisis; calls for rapid, rights-compliant security support

UNITED NATIONS

William O'Neil, the United Nations expert on human rights in Haiti, warned at a U.N. press briefing that violence by armed criminal groups has worsened and is producing a widespread humanitarian and human rights crisis, including the forced recruitment of children, mass displacement and attacks on schools, hospitals and places of worship.

"The situation is more dire each time that I go," O'Neil said, describing testimony from survivors and civil-society organizations. He said the capital risks falling under gang control and that violence has "internally displaced about one million people," with thousands displaced in recent weeks.

O'Neil told reporters that the international Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission and the Haitian National Police (HNP) have made efforts but lack personnel, mobility and equipment. "I believe that the total that was already identified in the Security Council resolution ... of about 2,500 is pretty close to what's needed," he said, adding the force would need helicopters, night-vision equipment, better vehicles and other logistical support to operate in densely populated urban neighborhoods and hilly rural areas.

Why it matters: O'Neil framed the crisis as immediate and multifaceted — security operations are necessary, he said, but must be paired with efforts to…