The human rights situation in Haiti worsened significantly during the year
due to the lack of state capacity to protect civilians from expanding gang
violence and individuals’ decreasing rights in areas such as freedom of
expression.
Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: arbitrary or
unlawful killings; torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or
punishment; arbitrary arrest or detention; serious abuses in a conflict;
serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, including
violence or threats of violence against journalists; trafficking in persons,
including forced labor; and significant presence of any of the worst forms of
child labor.