U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus McCormick, of South Florida, told WLRN that the U.N. decision to send a multi−national security force to Haiti to neutralize violent gangs is long overdue and includes safeguards to protect the Haitian people from possible human rights violations.
“I think everyone has a hesitation initially because we understand the past,” said the Haitian-American congresswoman from South Florida, referring to Haiti’s history with foreign intervention. “But I think when you balance it against the atrocities and the terrorism that the people are facing, you have a sense of ‘how can we deny our brothers and sisters the help they're crying out for?’”
Cherfilus McCormick made her remarks in an interview Friday with WLRN South Florida Roundup host Tim Padgett. Her congressional district includes Palm Beach and Broward counties, home to tens of thousands of Haitians.
The U.N. Security Council voted last Monday to send a multinational armed force led by Kenya to Haiti to help combat violent gangs, marking the first time in almost 20 years that a force would be deployed to the troubled Caribbean nation. It came a year after Haiti’s interim government called on the U.N. for help.
The U.S. supports the move. It has pledged to fund it but not send any U.S. security forces. The multi−national effort includes Haiti’s Caribbean neighbors, such as Jamaica, and European Union countries, such as Italy.
“What the U.N. Security Council did [last] week was really respect the self-determination of the Haitian people and honor their request to have troops help them fight the gangs. This is a big step for Haiti,” said Cherfilus McCormick.
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She says she first started calling on an outside security mission for Haiti last December after seeing reports that a large number of Haitian school-aged children were being recruited to join gangs.
Asked about concerns with Kenya leading the security mission, especially amid reports their own police have been the subject of human rights complaints, Cherfilus McCormick said she has discussed safeguards with U.N. officials.
“I've been in discussion with the U.N. Security Council Ambassador [Linda Thomas-]Greenfield, about what we can add to make sure that the Haitian people feel comfortable with this mission,” she said.
Among the safeguards: Anyone entering the country will be screened for any human rights violations.
Cherfilus McCormick said the Kenya−led security forces are needed in Haiti because the surge in gang violence is overrunning the country, and ruining its economy. Haiti’s gangs are responsible for some 2,500 murders this year alone.
“They want to move back into their neighborhoods. So that's really where we want to see the people being protected and their livelihood being restored,” she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
