Intro to Politics: Failed State: Haiti

Haiti would be considered a failed state because of the natural hazards the country faces every year. Haiti lies in the middle of the hurricane belt, between June to October. The country has the occasional flooding and earthquakes, as well as periodic droughts. Haiti faces current environment issues, such as extensive deforestation, soil erosion, and inadequate supply of portable water. Their drinking water source has improved in the urban, and rural areas to a percentage of 69. In the urban and rural areas the drinking water source has unimproved to a percentage of 31 in 2010. Haiti is a country that has a high degree of a risk of disease. Food and or waterborne diseases include: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever. As well as vectorborne diseases, which include dengue fever and malaria (2013).

Haiti is a free market economy. They have advantages of low labor costs and tariff-free access to the US for many of its exports. Serious economic growth throughout the country include: poverty, corruption, vulnerability to natural disasters, as well as low levels of education for much of the population. Haiti’s economy suffered a huge setback in January 2010 when an earthquake destroyed most of it’s capital city and neighboring areas. Haiti is a source, transit and destination country for everyone subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Many of the sex trafficking cases involve children. Some women are forced into prostitution, women and children living in camps for internally displaced people are at an increased risk of sex trafficking and forced labor.