I was first exposed to the plight of child labourers in Puerto Plata on my first trip to the Dominican Republic in 2008. It was then that I met William, a shy 12-year-old boy who was working as a shoe shiner. We made small talk, which often included elaborate signing with our hands when I couldn’t find the right words to say in my limited Creole vocabulary.
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| William and I. |
It was never hard to find William. He could always be found around the Malecon(boulevard) carrying his shoe shine supplies, and trying to shine someone's shoes. Each shoe shine cost 10 pesos, the equivalent of 0.25 cents. Earlier in the week, I had brought him a large ziplock bag filled with small items such as underwear, peanuts, and school supplies. He was not at home, so I left the package with his aunt, who he lived with. His home was a tiny two room corrugated metal shack in a barrio called Aguas Negras, which translates into black water. An appropriate name for a community with no sewage filtration system and where poverty is rampant.
As we got to know each other better, William slowly started to open up more to me. He explained to me why he didn’t like staying in his neighborhood, when I wanted to walk around and meet some of his friends. He feared that word would get back to his aunt that he wasn’t working, and she would beat him. He showed me scars and burns on his belly and back, caused by his enraged aunt with anything she could grab, most commonly a belt. He also told me that his aunt took the package I had brought for him and divided it among her own children, leaving nothing for William. It was heartbreaking to know that on top of having to work everyday, he did not live in a home where he felt loved and wanted.
I lost contact with William, but I saw him in so many of the other young street boys working in Puerto Plata. His case of forced labor and abuse began to be an all too familiar story among many of the young children working on the streets.
In the summer of 2010 I met Jean, another shoe shine boy. He was smaller than William and much less shy from the get go. He would come to my apartment everyday for lunch and to talk. His family was in Haiti, and he was working and living with a woman he referred to as his aunt, although she was not. He would always ask to sleepover, but I always told him that he had to sleep at home, and that he was always welcome to come over the following day.
One rainy night I put Jean on a motorcycle taxi, payed the 40 pesos fare (~$1) and gave him a big hug. I remember that he didn't want to leave, but as always I told him that he had to and that he could come over tomorrow.
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| Jean over for lunch. |
When the rain stopped, my friend and I decided to go down to the gas station a few minutes away from our home, which has a Burger King in it. To our surprise, on the other side of the road was Jean. Soaked from head to toe, looking like a lost puppy. I called him over and asked him why he didn’t go home, as he was suppose to. He told me that his "aunt" made him work all day. His punishment for not brining in his quota of 100 pesos($3) was a beating and to sleep outside. Like William, a beating consisted of a belt, kicks, and punches. His plan had been to wait until everyone was sleeping, and he would sleep outside. In the morning, he would come back over to our home, avoiding his "aunt" all together.
William and Jean are two of the first restavek children I met in Puerto Plata.
A restavek (; from the French language French reste avec,"one who stays with") is a child in who is sent by their parents to work for a host household as a domestic servant because the parents lack the resources required to support the child. Restavek may refer to a child staying with a host family, but usually refers specifically to those who are abused.
In Haiti, parents unable to care for children may send them to live with more affluent families. This is perceived as acceptable because in Haitian culture, it is ubiquitous for housing to be shared among members of an extended family, including distant relatives. (In contrast, the concept of a single nuclear family occupying each household is seen as desirable in other cultures.) Therefore, in Haiti it is acceptable for parents to send children to distant relatives to live. Often these relatives are living in more urban areas. The children receive food and housing (and sometimes an education) in exchange for housework. However, many restavecs live in poverty, they might not receive proper education and sometimes, the child could be abused, beaten or raped.[1] The United Nations considers restavec a "modern form of slavery".[1]
-Wikipedia.
Over the years of visiting the Dominican Republic, I have gotten to know many Haitian restavek children. The United Nations considers restavek children "a modern form of slavery." This is not an exaggeration in any way, shape, or form. Restavek children are almost always abused (emotionally and physically), not paid, over worked, and do not attend school.
It is easy to distinguish the difference between a restavek child, and a child who is working under their own free will( even if it is something their parents or guardians are encouraging). While both children are working, the main difference is that a restavek child is truly working and living in slave like conditions. They are frequently beaten and always given the worst the family has to offer. This includes having to sleep on the floor, eating the family's leftovers, and having to be the first person to wake up and the last person to go to sleep.
When a family decides to send their child to the Dominican Republic, it is because they believe that they are sending them to a life filled with more opportunities. In reality, many of the jobs Haitians do in the DR( i.e agriculture, construction, and domestic work) pay very little and offer no security. There have been numerous times where employers simply leave, not paying a single dime to the workers, often times for months worth of work.
All restavek children I have met, work for families who have very little themselves. Most earn between 75-200 pesos/day ($1.30-6). They live in simple homes made of corrugated metal, and eat once a day. Imagine what life is like for a restavek, a child slave, in a home where parents cannot always provide for their own child. Imagine how this child is treated, every single day.
In the Dominican Republic, classes take place either in the morning from 8:00-12:00am or in the afternoon from 12:00 to 4:00pm. We have made the decision to run morning classes, from 8:00am to 1:00pm. This includes an extra hour, which will be for English classes.
Many families who we have spoken to who have restavek children, have expressed that they will be more willing to send the child to morning classes. This will allow the child to be able to work during the afternoon.
Educating and Empowering Disadvantage Youth and their Families
While we may not be able to completely stop the use of child labour, we will be able to provide children with the opportunity to receive a quality education to ensure that they have a brighter future. A future free from abuse and poverty.
Collège Amélioration Jeunesse is a charitable school being set up to educate impoverished children who have been neglected and forgotten. While the school's mission is to provide these children with a high-quality education, we are also actively committed to community development. The school will be used after classes are finished , as a youth and community centre. One of the activities we have in mind is to provide a literacy class for adults who are illiterate, including those who use restaveks.
Encouraging positive change and educating adults who use restaveks on the importance of education, is equally as important as educating the child. A safe school and a safe home is the ultimate goal!
Only with your help, can we turn this dream into a reality.
Make a Donation : Please consider making a donation using our Chip In' link to the right. Our goal is to raise $12,500 in online donations, which will allow us to open and run the school for 6 months.
Participate in From Trash to a Class: Collect bottles and cans from your home, work, and school. To learn more about this fundraiser, check out this page.
Collect Items Donations: Take a look at our wish list page, to see if you have anything you would like to donate.
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