The Social Bond, Conflict and Violence in Haiti

This study is the second part of a larger research project that focuses on violence and local models of conflict management in Haiti. The project began in 2007, and is undertaken in cooperation between the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and Centre d’Études et de Recherche sur le Développement des Cultures et des Sociétés (CERDECS), Haiti. While the first part of the project considered political violence, this study looks at day-to-day social relations in a group of selected communities in order to enhance understanding of the recurring nature of political violence. Our point of departure is the intense urbanization of the country, which has led to the appearance of slum-like cités, or neighbourhoods, around urban centres. These neighbourhoods are home to social processes that predispose the inhabitants to violent political participation. Our findings show that weak social bonds and low trust in both social relationships and formal institutions, such as the state, NGOs and the UN force, MINUSTAH, are traits shared by most neighbourhoods, slums, urban areas and rural villages. However, slums are weaker when it comes to vertical indicators, those that show links between individuals from different social backgrounds or from different neighbourhoods. In terms of policy recommendations, initiatives should be considered that reinforce social cohesion and the level of trust among people in the communities. The political leadership should be capable of renewing its relationships with the urban masses. This requires that political groups be made aware of what is at stake and be willing to take the risk. In the past, initiatives have been launched to work with political parties. However, such initiatives would be more objective and legitimate if they were based on research.