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International Feature– Justice
Criminal kids, orphans warehoused
in Haiti The Georgia Straight
In Haiti, street children are incarcerated at the Boys’ Detention Centre, Delmas 33, in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, sometimes without being charged or having access to a lawyer. Hundreds of inmates – some as young as eight – are warehoused in four cells, often for years, contravening the UNICEF Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Excerpt from article:“Frantsane was 15 when he was arrested. An arson fire had levelled a street market and police responded by rounding up the urchins who lived and slept along Delmas Street. Frantsane was one of them.
What was the criminal charge?
“I don’t know.”
Did you have a defence lawyer?
“Only God.”
Who could you complain to?
“Only God.”