Around 225,000 children living in Haiti undergo their daily lives as undocumented domestic workers, nothing more than modern-day slaves.
A study conducted by the Pan American Development Foundation found that Restaveks, poor children sent by their families to work at private residences, are more common than they were originally believed to be.
According to the study, the principle of the practice lies in the understanding that parent “turn over child-rearing responsibility to another household in exchange for the child’s unpaid domestic service.”
Most restavek children are sent from poor environments to another that may be a bit less poor, with some given educational opportunities in exchange for the their servitude.
Two-thirds of all child slaves are female and will most likely to be abused or raped by a member of their new family.
The study, which was conducted door to door, also found that 30% of households in Haiti held restavek children while 22% of all children surveyed were living away from home.
Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. Over 78% of its people survive on less than $2 a day.
