The departure of Haitians from displacement camps has slowed down
considerably, according to IOM's latest Displacement Tracking
Matrix (DTM).

The number of people living in the displacement camps caused by
the January 2010 earthquake dropped by only 46,000 during April and
May 2011 from an overall figure of 680,000 to 634,000. This decline
of 7 per cent represents one of the slowest rates of decrease since
internally displaced persons (IDPs) began leaving camps in large
numbers last September.

The latest DTM figures show that while the majority of IDP sites
– 70 per cent – hold less than 100 families, an
overwhelming number of IDPs live in only 70 large settlements with
over 500 families. More than 40 per cent of the entire displaced
population in Haiti now resides in 25 "tent cities".

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Haiti alt="" border="0" height="12" hspace="0" src=
"/jahia/webdav/site/myjahiasite/shared/shared/mainsite/graphics/interface/icons_buttons/blue_link_box.gif"> "/jahia/Jahia/haiti/lang/en" title="">IOM Haiti

During the reporting period covered in the DTM, on average about
one IDP camp has closed down per day. This has brought down the
number of displacement sites in Haiti to 1001. While this is a
decrease from the July 2010 peak of 1555 camps, the reduced pace of
closure indicates that IDPs are facing ever greater difficulty in
finding housing solutions.

Simultaneously, pressure on IDPs to leave the camps has grown
inexorably. The onset of the hurricane season, frequent inundations
posing increased danger for camp dwellers and a reduced presence of
NGOs resulting in a continuing reduction of services within camps,
has increased the health risks among a population exposed to
contaminated water.

Rising instances of evictions cases are also adding to the
insecurity of the IDPs. Many camp closures can be attributed to
evictions with another 187 camps, or 18.6 per cent of the total
number, under threat of eviction, according to statistics from the
Camp Coordination, Camp Management (CCCM) cluster which IOM
leads.

"The best way to rapidly reduce Haiti's homeless population is
to focus on durable solutions," said Luca Dall'Oglio, IOM Haiti
Chief of Mission. "This is where the focus of the humanitarian
effort urgently needs to be. We are working to provide housing
solutions to displaced persons in small camps, yet these
initiatives must be scaled up. The broader return, relocation and
reconstruction needs also have to be addressed in a more
comprehensive and inclusive fashion. The time for doing that is
now."

It the meantime, the report recommends increasing water and
sanitation services and health surveillance in camps. It notes that
increased awareness raising activities on ways to reduce health
risks from contaminated water are also needed.

Please find the full DTM report and the latest eviction and
cholera situation on our website "paragraph-link-no-underline" href="http://www.cccmhaiti.info/"
target="_blank" title="">http://www.cccmhaiti.info/

For more information contact:

Leonard Doyle

Tel: + 509 3702 5066

E-mail: "mailto:LDoyle@iom.int">LDoyle@iom.int