Wyclef Jean Urges Haitians To Be Good

According to Reuters, Wyclef Jean has produced a radio advertisement which asks Haitians to stop committing crimes and contribute to the country's development instead. The public service announcement is sponsored by the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti.

The ad tells Haitians to stop raping women and urges citizens to protect women's rights. The Grammy Award-winning musician also asked listeners to stop kidnapping people and children. The short announcement is spoken in Creole and runs throughout the day by local Haitian radio stations.

Haitian authorities have reported a rise in crime the past few weeks as a surge of kidnappings and other gang-related crimes have occurred at the capital and surrounding provincial areas.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas and has survived many years of political upheaval including dictatorship, military rule and violence.

A spokesman for the U.N. police said Jean may influence young criminals in a positive way because of his widespread popularity among all Haitians.