In Haiti the term Restavek, a Creole word derived from the French "rester avec", meaning "to stay with" or "to remain with", is deeply rooted in the countries history. While sending your children away to work as a domestic may be deeply rooted in the impoverished countries history, however the modern reality is that some 300,000 children in the country are enslaved as domestic workers according to the UN. Essentially a child is sent to live with a family that is better off under the guise that they will benefit from living with the family via education and economic opportunity, however the children are enslaved in a daily life of domestic labor, receiving little to no education, and they are most often abused physically, mentally and sexually.
Haiti who fought for freedom from slavery, winning independence from France in 1804, at which time slavery was officially abolished, has now ironically become a major global hub for modern slavery, seeing victims trafficked both with in the country and internationally. In neighboring Dominican Republic the sugar plantations are feed almost solely off the backs of Haitians, and children are sold like common goods as was seen when Nightline took a A Shocking Look into Child Slavery in Haiti.
Despite the nations historical triumph over slavery and freedom the Restavek system has continued to remain in place. However these vulneralble children have been left even more vulnerable in the wake of hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike. UNICEF estimates that some 300,000 children have been affected by the storms. The Times recently ran the story, Children in Servitude, the Poorest of Haiti's Poor , highlighting the increased abuses and suffering that Restavek children are facing in the shadows of hurricane season. Food aid arrives in Haiti but delivery is still difficult, which has left many of the Restavek children clamoring for the scraps as they are pushed aside and marginalized once again. The situation has left many to fear that Haiti could face new food crisis after storms.
While many organizations have missed the plight of the Restavek children, others like Limye Lavi work daily on the ground to see that not only are the rights of children improved, but that the root causes that have enabled the Restavek situation in Haiti to continue are address. Until the economic and educational roots of such problems in Haiti are addressed, the plight of thousands of children each year looks to remain teetering in the shadows.
Please see my other posts on the current situation of children in Haiti here.
Links and Related Articles:
"Children of Shadows" – documentary
Restavek: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle Class American – book by Jean-Robert Cadet
Restavek Fact Sheet
Fondasyon Limye Lavi (Light of Life Foundation) / Free the Slaves
Rule of the rapists in Haiti
