Restavek in Haiti

01490611 Eric Wolkersdorf 01490620 Edgar Rojas

00490204 Venel Geneus

00490240 Felix Anduray

Haiti

Motto: Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood

Capital: Port-au-Prince Area: 27,750 km2 Population: 9.7 Million Independence: 1804 Official language: French & Haitian Creole PPP: $1,243 vs Taiwan: $38,749

What is Restavek?
reste avec, "one who stays with

Poor Biological Parent sent Children to relatives or friends (rich or less poor) Work as domestic, food providing, Education ( not mandatory). Few well treated, most being mistreated.

History
Poverty and slavery have been connected with Haitian culture since Spain and France divided Hispaniola Haiti proclaimed independence in 1804. European and western countries such as France and the United States then applied several rigid fines and Haiti from accessing international resources. These European countries ensured that Haiti would not be part of the international world market and therefore never gain true financial stability

History
The psychological and physical brutality of slavery, continued to impact Haiti as it has many African communities across the Diaspora. Therefore, the false image of what is important to white society (i.e. skin complexion, money, power) generated continued separation among those formerly enslaved in Haiti. Later, wealthy, whites and light-skinned Haitians controlled the government. The elite classes made the poor families believe that if they did not have enough money, then they should send their children off. A lot of poor families resorted to this way of life

Social context
Haitians became familiar with the travails of the restavek underage child servants (who have been the subject of many books, anecdotes and controversy) huge poverty is a common denominator for the great majority, this phenomenon, a combination of unfulfilled promises and self-serving opportunities, has matured into an issue that is more revolting than the poverty in which people live Therefore who are not familiar with Haitian culture, this practice may be considered repulsive and a violation of human rights

Social context
Haitians became familiar with the travails of the restavek underage child servants (who have been the subject of many books, anecdotes and controversy) huge poverty is a common denominator for the great majority, this phenomenon, a combination of unfulfilled promises and self-serving opportunities, has matured into an issue that is more revolting than the poverty in which people live Therefore who are not familiar with Haitian culture, this practice may be considered repulsive and a violation of human rights

Government response
Since Haitis existence the state is structurally defective and is a non-issue for the authorities Through Maurico Sixto important Haitian writer in his book satirical portrayal of a restavek, helped in the 1970 rise as an important issue for human rights campaigners Haitian state actively to elimate the scourge through legislative and public awareness but the practice is widespread and nothing is being done about it

Restavek in the house

Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=play er_embedded&v=bb_dtw7W-jk

Restavek Vs Slavery

Restavek is not slavery

Slavery: Slave =object, Restavek: child =Still human being Slavery: money involve, Restavek: Child is not bought or sold Slavery: on chain, Restavek Child can leave the house whenever they want and go back to their biological family, mostly they are kicked out when they are 15 ( law states at 15 everyone working must receive a salary, but few restavek know about this law)

Restavek is slavery
They are the same attributes that described a slave in the past: the state of control exercised over the slave based on violence or its threat, a lack of any payment beyond subsistence, and the theft of the labor or other qualities of the slave for economic gain (Bales, Understanding Global Slavery, 9) A child being sold into a life of work with abuse, sometimes sexual, little nourishment, and oftentimes none of the promised schooling

Restaveks: Facts and figures

According to UNICEF, there are an estimated 225,000 children, primarily female, between the ages of 5-17 living as restaveks in Haiti.

Their average workday lasts 10 to 14 hours.

The average 15 year old restavek stands 4cm

shorter and weighs 20kg less than the average

Haitian child.

 'Restavek', UNICEF estimated that 25,000 to 300,000 children, 85% of them girls, are victims of this practice. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000)

The 1984 Conference Report estimated that 109,000 Haitian children worked as restaveks, 65,000 girls and 44,000 boys. If 109,000 children is an accurate figure today, 5% of Haitian children between the age of 5 and 18 works as domestics.

LIFE OF A RESTAVEK
Daily Life

Cook, wash dishes, eat by themselves

Wash laundry Shop alone in the market, often one of the most dangerous parts of the city Care for small children in the family

Four Ways a Child Enters Restavek

Very poor parents desperation and inability to care for their childs basic needs

will lead them to sending their child into restavek with the hope that the child
will at least eat better and receive an education. Of course, this is usually not the case. Orphaned children will be sent by an aunt or uncle to stay with someone who supposedly has more means to care for them. They fall into restvek. Children whose very isolated rural communities do not have primary schools will be sent to the towns and cities to attend school. A mother or a father may be ashamed of a child because the child was born in conditions society condemns. Examples include children born out of wedlock, children of rape, and children abandoned by their fathers.

Contributing Factors
Attitudes about Children Proverbs like, children are animals which describes treatment of children, and children are the wealth of a poor man which describes reproductive practices, help to describe Haitian attitudes about children which fuel the continuation of the restavek practice. Poverty and Desperation This is often considered one of the greatest causes driving parents to send children into restavek. Often times a parent is forced to face trading her childs right to live with her family for the hope that she might be able to go to school or eat a decent meal every day. Lack of Family Planning Couples with high numbers of children, women who have children with various fathers, men who father children with many mothers or any of these family circumstances put children at greater risk of falling into restavek.

Contributing Factors
Irresponsibility of Fathers Countless fathers in Haiti do not play an active role in raising their children, nor do they always provide for all their children. This leaves mothers to fend for themselves, and children are left vulnerable to being sent into servitude. Social Conditioning Wide Acceptance of Restavek It is likely that every Haitian among the lower and middle classes grows up being exposed to the restavek practice in some way. If not growing up in restavek herself, a child will be exposed to the practice within her own home or neighborhood, and will be conditioned to perceive the practice as normal. This fuels what Haitians call sitirans, meaning acceptance or over-tolerance, of the practice within Haitian society. Attitudes about Gender Though improving, in general, girls in Haiti have been considered less in need of education to guarantee their future security. This, coupled with the attitude that household work is girls work, explains the higher proportion of girls in restavek.

To stay with
In the Creole language, "restavek" means "to stay with." Yet for the children who are called restavek, that definition is incomplete. For them, it means: To stay with... humiliation and abuse.

To stay with... alone, in a family that offers no love.

To stay with... an incessant and knawing hunger.

To stay with... the feeling that no matter what, their

voices, their lives, will never count.

Family Solidarity
The child is sent to an equivalent or same school as the other children in the family. The child does the same chores as the other children. The child eats the same food and is served this food in the same way. The child sleeps in similar conditions. The child is given similar affection. The child is generally respected as a member of the household equal to all the other children in the family. The child knows she is loved and belongs.

Reference
http://www.restavekfreedom.org/ http://www.rfahaiti.org/ http://www.haitiantimes.com/is-it-fair-toequate-restavek-with-slavery/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restavec