Haiti is in the top ten on the Global Slavery Index.
Many of those in slavery in Haiti are children of poor families whose parents have given them to a host family with more resources, based on the assumption that their children’s lives will be better, with a possibility of receiving an education and good health care.
Life for these children, known by the Haitian Creole word restavek, is rarely what their parents expect. Restavek children are caught up in a life of domestic chores, often handling jobs no one else is willing to do, without receiving pay, education, or care for their health or happiness.
This post is one in a series of short posts including the number 10 in the first sentence, a requirement of the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild anthology submission in 2021.
Photo of Haitian school children by Zach Vessels on Unsplash
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