Haiti was one of the first countries to abolish slavery around 1800. Today, some three hundred thousand children work as slaves in the households of host parents.
Restavek Freedom is committed to enabling these child slaves, 'restaveks', to go to school. They also offer psychosocial support. Host parents are made aware of their responsibility: exploitation and/or exclusion from school is not accepted. Every child has the right to an education and a safe environment!
Catherine's story
Last year, over two thousand children were freed from slavery. One of them is Catherine. This is her story.
Three years ago, Catherine entered the Child Advocacy programme. She was living with her foster mother at the time. At a young age, Catherine had already lost both parents. Shortly after she entered the Restavek Freedom programme, her foster mother left for Canada. This is another loss for Catherine. Everyone she is attached to, she seems to be losing. It is not an easy period. Her child advocate Alexis gives us an insight into her development since then.
'Children in restavek situations often struggle. They do not receive the same love as children living with their biological parents. They are treated differently and seen less. Host parents usually don't care that much how the child feels and develops, although there are exceptions.'
One such exception is Catherine's godmother, with whom she is allowed to come and live after her foster mother emigrates. Her godmother fortunately takes good care of her. Catherine has now had several years of education.
Sensible girl
Her child advocate watches with satisfaction as the girl makes good progress in a few years. 'Before she started with us, Catherine never went to school. So at ten, she had had very little education. Now she is 13 and doing very well. She gets good marks in her tests. Her favourite subject is maths.' But it is not only her results that stand out. 'Catherine is a very wise girl. Her wisdom makes her unique.'
Besides school and homework, there is, of course, room for relaxation. In her free time, Catherine enjoys listening to gospel music and group activities, such as playing hide-and-seek together. Her caring new home and the guidance within Restavek Freedom's programme have clearly done Catherine good. She has had setbacks in her young life, but now her situation is stable. Wonderful to see how she has completely blossomed in a few years!
