Assisting Vulnerable Children and Women in Haiti's Border Areas

This project aims to prevent human trafficking and protect vulnerable Haitian migrants especially children and women. Haiti is a major source of migrants and every year thousands of Haitians seek better socio-economic opportunities in the Dominican Republic. The two countries share 360 km of extremely porous border with only four official border points. The majority of migratory movements from Haiti are made from informal and illegal crossing points. Lacking legal status and documentation illegal border crossers frequently fall victim to violence abuse or exploitation especially children and women. With GAC’s support the International Organization for Migration is increasing protection mechanisms in border areas to combat human trafficking especially child and women trafficking and exploitation. Project activities include: (1) training 400 local governmental officers and civil society actors on standardized procedures and protection principles (including prevention and reintegration aspects); (2) establishing a common standardized data management system for the registration of migrants; (3) establishing and operationalizing four border resource centres at official crossing points; (4) rehabilitating or refurbishing eight reception centres in Ouanaminthe Belladere and Fonds-Parisien; (5) providing reintegration assistance at border to 2 000 vulnerable migrants (e.g. emergency shelter and domestic items); (6) providing adequate livelihoods assistance/education grants to 500 vulnerable migrants; and (7) developing a total of 16 awareness/sensitization campaigns targeting more than 737 000 Haitians living in bordering communes on the dangers of irregular border crossings and on how to report cases of exploitation and abuse.

The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: (1) improved capacities of specialised governmental institutions and local protection actors; and (2) reinforced coordination among specialised governmental institutions and local protection actors to increase access to services to vulnerable migrants returning to Haiti especially children and women.