Restavek
This is the latest installment of this blog highlighting the conditions of Child Domestic Workers in Haiti.
In Haiti, many poor rural families hoping to provide a better future for their children send them to live as domestic servants in the homes of urban / semi-urban families. The majority of these children are girls and are extremely vulnerable to emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. These children are known as Restavek.
What Adult Respondents Think
According to research in Haiti, most parents do not want their children to be working either paid or unpaid positions as agricultural or domestic laborers.
Adult respondents are more comfortable with sending their sons or daughters to live with others as paying guests or as apprentices. These data contradict the common perception that parents are willing to send their sons or daughters as unpaid child domestic workers. Given options, parents of either sons or daughters, and irrespective of whether they live in homes with child domestic workers, only would want their children to go to homes that can provide apprenticeships or other opportunities.
Data Source
The raw data provided to Haiti Now by FAFO Research Foundation and the Institut Haitian del’ Enfance, were collected in 2013 - 2014.
Haiti Now has published this data online in an interactive manner. Click here to review this data in more detail, and to see other dimensions of the living conditions of Restavek in Haiti. Click here to see all our visualizations.
Building The Residential School
Haiti Now administers comprehensive programs that enable girls to overcome domestic servitude. It is now working on building a residential school dedicated to the long term empowerment of Restavek girls.
In this residential school, Haiti Now will provide an accelerated education, health care, emotional support, mentoring, arts, sports, and healthy socialization with peers and adults. Our goal is to provide the comprehensive support needed for Restavek girls to build a healthy and financially secure future, all under one roof.
Please support us at https://www.haiti-now.org/donate/
