In Haiti, large numbers of vulnerable children and the country’s particular historical context
has led to a unique phenomenon known as the “restavèk” system. An estimated 300,000
Haitian children are restavèks, living as unpaid domestic servants. Child-welfare advo-
cates describe the restavèk system as modern slavery, but researchers and advocates lack
information about restavèk children’s circumstances, particularly vis-à-vis other children
in Haiti.