Every day Haitian children are sent away in hopes of a better life. This has become a Haitian tradition. When Haitians don’t have enough money to support their children they sent them to live with another family or many times complete strangers. These foster parents are supposed to take care of these children as if they were their own. They’re supposed to send them to school, buy them clothe, and guide the to a better future. However, this hardly ever happens. These children are taken in as servants, forced to work without pay, secluded from other children in the household and not often sent to school. Before the earthquake out of Haiti’s eight million people 300,000 children were restaveks. After the earthquake one million Haitians were left homeless so the number of restaveks also raised a lot. The big question with all this is. Is this Haitian tradition or child slavery? If the parents give away the children willingly is it still slavery? Jean-Robert Cadet, a former restavek, now runs an organization against restaveks. Cadet tells us that the only reason why restaveks are still around today is because it is socially accepted as tradition. Cadet says only a small percent of restaveks are treated well and sent to school, this makes Haitian parents prefer sending of their kids and hoping they end up with a good family than watching them die while living with them. So is this so called “ tradition” slavery?
Haiti is considered amongst the top if not the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere. A nation whose lack of strong central government and authority breeds opportunities for violence, crime, but worst of all child abduction or slavery. Haiti has ingrained in its past, the restavek custom, which is that a child whose parents wish to create a better life for them but cannot, end up willingly handing over custody to those who promise a bright future. But this is rarely the outcome, more often than not, children are taken,never to be seen again, forced to work as servants, sex slaves, and all types of jobs that should never be done by a child. I agree with Roberto in that the concept of Restavek has become a "tradition" deeply rooted in Haiti that must end. Haiti must end such a unjust and inhumane custom that exploits the very future of their country, Haitian children.
ReplyDeleteThe restavek system isn't the problem. It's the solution (a solution that doesn't work very well). To stop the abuses of the restavek system, one would have first address the problems that the restavek system tries to fix.
ReplyDeleteChildren are sent away from their parents and become restaveks where they're exploited and beaten. Okay, now why did the parents send them away in the first place? One answer might be because sending their children away gives them a chance at an education. In other situations, the parents simply might not be able to feed them. The problem of impoverishment and malnourishment strikes the entire world. The restavek children might die of hunger with their parents. Both might go. One could drone on and on about situations that cause the restavek system.
I say that blaming the restavek system or directing resources to stop people from sending their children to be restaveks is a waste. Direct that money to stop impoverishment that causes the situations in which it's necessary to send children to be restaveks.
I think that the restavek system is wrong but an order to change it you have to change the view point of the Haitians. The Haitians see this as a traditonal thing and basically it's their childrens only chance for an education. If there were more programs to help these children and their families the mothers would not have to send them away to the pain and ridicule that they endure everyday for an education.
ReplyDeleteI think we should try to read Kevin Bales' chapter entitled Ending Slavery to End Poverty to End Slavery to End Poverty. In it, he argues that actually fighting slavery helps to alleviate poverty. Training survivors of slavery and putting those people to work in "legitimate trades" actually increases the wealth of the family, the community, and the nation. He argues that instead of arguing the chicken and the eggs kind of debates, we should be putting resources into efforts that we know help to alleviate poverty. His claim is that anti-slavery is actually one of them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dr. Murphy, the fact that this sort of slavery is tradition means you'll have to change other aspects of the haitians culture and traditions to effectively eliminate slavery. We as Americans do not understand the Haitian culture enough to decide how to banish the type of behavior. However, readings such as Kevin Bale's, Ending Slavery, gives us a little insight and certainly raises awareness.
ReplyDeletewow. It is a shame that some families have to resort to measures such as this. This is slavery these children deserve better. I dont think that the families want their children to go into child labor but this is something that they have to consider and possible do. As americans I feel we should not judge, this is their culture, and something most of them are use to.
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