The number of homicides in Haiti seem alarming to everyone and feed the opposition, which claims that the Government is unable to ensure the safety of its citizens and the organizations of human rights who sees in these figures, the opportunity to publish of notes more alarmist than each other. The travel warnings updated recently by the United States and Canada are only consolidate the citizen in this bad impression.

Everyone seems convinced that the number of homicides is too important in Haiti to think to develop the tourism and that the security situation is not guaranteed, preventing the development of business. However, apart from balance sheets reported throughout the year, it is important to relativize these figures to restore the truth.

Relativize not meaning "minimize", because we agree like everyone, than an assassination is still a life lost too early.

Haiti is the worst country in the Caribbean in terms of homicides: FALSE

According to the latest study "GLOBAL STUDY ON HOMICIDE 2011" conducted like each year by "United Nations Office on Drug and Crime USA" (UNODC), we read that the homicide rate per 100,000 population in Haiti [common method of comparison used in the world for this kind of measure], rank Haiti in 5th position out of 22 countries, with the fewest homicides, in the area America-Caribbean.

Martinique 		17	4.2	2008  National police
Cuba			518	4.6	2008 PAHO
Anguilla		1	6.8	2008 NSO
Antigua and Barbuda 	6	6.8	2010 National police
Haiti			689	6.9	2010 UN-PKO
Guadeloupe  		32	7.0	2008 National police
British Virgin Islands 	2	8.6	2006 PAHO
Turks and Caicos 	3	8.9	2008 PAHO
Barbados		31	11.3	2010 UN-CTS
Grenada			12	11.5	2010 OAS
Cayman Islands 		6	11.7	2004 PAHO
Montserrat		1	19.7	2008 PAHO
Dominica		15	22.1	2010 OAS
Saint Vincent and 
the Grenadines 		24	22.0	2010 NGO
Dominican Republic 	2,472 	24.9 	2010 National police
Puerto Rico 		983	26.2	2010 National police
Bahamas			96	28.0	2010 OAS
Saint Kitts and Nevis 	20	38.2	2010 National police
Saint Lucia 		44	25.2	2010 OAS
Trinidad and Tobago 	472	35.2	2010 National police
United States Virgin 
Islands 		43	39.2	2007 PAHO
Jamaica			1,428	52.1	2010 UN-CTS

First number : Number of victims - Second : Rate per 100,000 inhabitants

The homicide rate in Haiti is an obstacle to tourism development: FALSE

The 4 countries of the Caribbean area, that have the highest rate of tourists are among those who have the greatest number of victims...

2010 ranking, of the 4 best tourist destinations :

First: Dominican Republic (4,124,543 tourists) 24.9 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants (15th of 22) 3.6 times more than Haiti

Second: Jamaica (1,921,678 visitors) 52.1 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants (22 out of 22) 7.5 times more than Haiti

Third: Puerto Rico (1,369,814 visitors) 26.2 homicides per 100,000 (16th of 22) 3.79 more than Haiti

Fourth: Bahamas (1,368,053 visitors) 28 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants (17th of 22) 4.05 more than Haiti

The homicide rate in Haiti is an obstacle to business development: FALSE

The Prime Minister, Laurent Lamothe, businessman of experience, declared last week in La Romana (Dominican Republic), referring to the slowness to constitute a company in Haiti, the need to act quickly if not investors "can discourage and open a business here in Santo Domingo, Jamaica, Puerto Rico." 3 examples of countries where the crime rate per 100,000 population, are significantly higher to Haiti.

It is therefore necessary, to take with caution the figures that are reported in the media, if they are not put in relation with other countries. So the U.S. travel warning for Haiti, should not make us forget that the crime rate in the USA (2010) was 5.0 per 100,000 population (UNODC Report 2011), or 1.9 less homicides per 100,000 population than Haiti (6.9 ).

Beyond these figures, personal safety must remain the priority for the Haitian government, because no figure of loss of life can not and should not be satisfactory, while keeping in mind that 100% security does not exist in the world. In summary, the situation in Haiti is less worse than what is said, although considerable work remains to be done in this area.

HL/ S/ TB/ HaitiLibre