Haitians being unfairly discriminated against – says Haitian immigrant

Aug 07, 2019 News

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Recently, public discourse about Haitians has been abundant. But amidst that discourse, a Haitian immigrant says that there is a lot of misinformation that has led to Haitian nationals being unfairly targeted and discriminated against.

Elysee Ceran, better known as Sondy, has been living in Guyana for four years. And during that period, Ceran, among others, has formed a migrant support network for persons coming from Haiti, whether to Guyana or through Guyana for other countries in Latin America.
Speaking to Kaieteur News yesterday, Ceran decried what he deems to be misinformation in public discourse.
But what was most troubling to the aspiring lawyer is a report that was published on August 2, 2019 in another section of the media, alleging that there were health concerns about Haitians coming to Guyana.
That article had described a series of health issues in Haiti, including a false statistic which claimed that nearly all pregnant mothers at Haitian medical facilities were tested positive for HIV.
“I believe 100 percent [that] these things can bring genocide against Haitians because if I’m a Guyanese and they tell me Haitians bring disease… I would be scared for my kids, for my life.”
He explained that historically, some acts of massacre have happened because of sensational reports of disease similar to that which was carried by another media house, last week.
He said that that media house should apologise for what was published.
“Guyana is a nice country, people are very much hospitable.” Ceran said.
But the effects of recent developments on the treatment of Haitians, has been swift. Ceran, who is a businessman, said that some Guyanese citizens have started putting restrictions on their connections with Haitian Nationals, in work and in personal relationships.
“We are being targeted wrongfully.”
Nevertheless, he continues to work to provide assistance to persons coming from the French Caribbean nation.
Over the past three years, he and other Haitians have made themselves a contact point for those passing through.
“If they’re in the country for a few months, they need help and support; they’d just come to us and seek help.”
As the leader of the Haitian migrant support network, Ceran said that he can attest to the fact that claims of people smuggling and trafficking are far from the truth.
He says that for human trafficking to occur, people have to have been displaced against their will. In those cases, they would be displaced for forced labour and/or sexual slavery.
He explained that they are coming to Guyana of their own free will, legally and entering other nations of their own free will, legally. Brazil, for instance, allows Haitians to stay for six months, upon entry. Kaieteur News reported that busloads of them have gone to Lethem to cross the border into the Brazilian town of Bon Fim.
As they head over, Ceran said that they are met with an office similar to the arrangement at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), where they are given a stamp, allowing them to stay for six months.
Many of them are leaving their country to go live in Brazil, Suriname, Chile and French Guiana, he explained, and Haiti has sizeable populations living in those nations.
What’s certain is that most of them are not in Guyana to stay; they’re just passing through.
And the reason they’re not staying here, Ceran says, is because it’s difficult for them to acquire the requisite documentation.
Here, Haitians who overstay risk deportation.
“The law says if you overstay in the country, they will put you in jail. They will pay a fine. And also, you’ll get sent back to your country. Nobody wants to go through that. So for that reason, they choose to leave the country and go to another country where they think they can have papers easily.”
Of those that manage to stay legally, Ceran’s network assists them to settle in.
“Those who want to stay here, we provide them with English training. That’s the first thing we do. That’s why we create C&V Institute.”
That institute is a language services provider that Ceran founded. According to its blog, it specialises in French, Spanish and Portuguese.
“In that institute, we hire Guyanese nationals to teach them English.”
“We assist them if they need legal documents and also if they have any concern, we also employ Haitian translators in case they have to face the court [or other systems] somebody can translate for them, free of charge.”
And if they are in need of accommodation, the network will assistant them in finding suitable renting quarters or other living arrangements that could benefit them.
He said that they are fleeing their home because political instability and poverty has made Haiti a very difficult place to contend with. Many of them go to countries where they can work to send money back home to support their families, he added. Others leave just to find a better life.
The caveat stressed by Ceran throughout his interview with Kaieteur News is, “Nobody has been trafficked. Nobody has been smuggled.”
But Haitian Nationals are facing discrimination, and he is adamant that people must do better.

 

 

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