Children in Servitude, Haiti

Restaveks, are the thousands of young Haitian children handed over by their poor parents to better-off families, most of whom are struggling themselves. The term restaveks literally means “stay with,” and that is what the children do with their hosts, working as domestic servants in exchange for a roof over their head, some leftover food and, supposedly, the ability to go to school.

In practice, though, the restaveks are easy prey for exploitation. Human rights advocates say they are beaten, sexually abused and frequently denied access to education, since many host families believe that schooling will only make them less obedient. Recent storms, according to Unicef, added 300,000 Haitian children to the Restavek populace.

–from gnn.tv

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