Restavek Girls Don’t Complete their Primary Education

Most Restavek Girls Don’t Complete their Primary Education compared to Boys

Research regarding the education of child domestic workers

Most Child Domestic Workers cannot complete their primary education. To begin with, they have to work and earn for themselves and their families.
 
The situation is bad for both girls and boys. According to data, 44 percent of girls have only attained incomplete primary education. Likewise, only 30 percent of Haitian boys have attained an incomplete primary education.
 
Overall, only one percent of children enroll in primary schools when they are five years of age. The majority of enrollment takes place when they are six-years-old. Around 20 percent of CDW girls were in school at that age in comparison to 14 percent of CDW boys.
 
The attendance of girls was better than the attendance of boys. Namely, around 42 percent of CDW girls regularly attended school. In comparison, 30 percent of CDW boys did. Unfortunately, the percentage of CDWs who were able to complete education is dismal. Generally, they have to drop out of school to work.
 
Only seven percent of girls and five percent of boys completed primary education. Also, only one percent of girls made it to the lower secondary school or more. But, almost no boys pursued higher education.
 
Nine percent of girls were sometimes late for school due to work while six percent of boys did. Similarly, the percentage of girls who never showed up to school because of work was higher than for boys. Usually, the attendance of girls was higher than boys despite working.

Restavek

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. These children, mostly girls are extremely vulnerable to emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. These children are known as Restavek.

Data Source

Haiti Now relied on data obtained from the FAFO Research Foundation and the Institut Haitian del’ Enfance. The data was collected from 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.

Another Option for Abandoned Girls in Domestic Servitude

Haiti Now ‘s mission is to give Restavek girls the ability to:

  • leave domestic servitude, and 
  • prepare for the future they and their parents had hoped for.

Our current goal is to build a residential school for Restavek girls. We intend to provide the support needed for these girls to build a healthy and financially secure future, all under one roof. 

In this residential school, girls will receive:

  • an accelerated education, 
  • health care, 
  • emotional support, 
  • mentoring, 
  • arts and sports, and 
  • healthy socialization with peers and adults. 

Envision the opportunity for these girls reaching their potential at our residential school, and join us to build this facility.

Please support us at  https://www.haiti-now.org/donate/