Haiti and Creole: The Violation of Human Rights in Education

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This Note analyzes the linguistic policy of Haiti as it relates to the nation’s education system and the international education and linguistic rights of Haiti’s citizens.  Part I describes Haiti’s complicated linguistic history, the present attitudes toward Haitian Creole, and the current preference for French in Haiti’s education system.  Part II looks at Haiti’s international treaty obligations to provide a fundamental education to its population and how Haiti’s policies violate those obligations.  Part III considers the linguistic rights of Haitian Creole speakers and shows how Haiti’s policies violate those rights as a matter of international treaty and linguistic rights theory.

Overall, this Note shows that Haiti’s education policy is woefully inadequate in its attempts to meet the needs of the Haitian people.  By preferring French to the detriment of Haitian Creole, the Haitian government perpetuates cycles of poverty and inequality and denies its people the opportunity to forge a better society through education.  This Note concludes by recommending that the international community continue to raise awareness regarding the linguistic divide in Haiti and help Haiti toward a Creole-based education system.

Austin D. Kuhn

J.D., Columbia Law School, 2020