Despite efforts
to abolish slavery in all its forms, slavery still exists in many ways today,
including child slavery. There are an estimated 150 million children in slavery
in the world today, with up to 300,000 of them living in Haiti.
Restavek is a
form of modern day child slavery in Haiti that we are
intent on ending in our lifetime. It is a systemic problem caused largely by widespread poverty. To end the system of restavek, it requires creating meaningful
conversations and educating communities in Haiti on the treatment of children.
We do this with
the help of our Haitian child advocates who are fighting every day to make
these children feel valued and worth fighting for.
Restavek
Freedom isn’t alone in desiring to see an end to child slavery. The arts and
entertainment realm has pledged support to end this practice by shedding light
on slavery through various mediums, including film.
Here are three
of our favorite movies that address the problem of child slavery*:
The Abolitionists is the story of Tim
Ballard, former Special Agent with Homeland Security, and his team as they
rescue 57 children from slavery and help lead to the arrest of seven
traffickers. The director, Chet Thomas, says that he “felt called to make the
movie” despite the obstacles he knew they would face. Chet believes in the
power of entertainment to raise awareness of important issues, including child
slavery.This film was
surrounded by a lot of buzz at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and for good
reason. It takes a deep look at the forced child labor that occurs within the
chocolate industry. The Chocolate Case
is not the first documentary that has attempted to uncover the dark side of the
treat we love so much. Other films such as The
Dark Side of Chocolate and
Cocoa-nomics have also shed light on the problem that exists with how our
chocolate gets made and what we should do to correct it.Sold
is the heartbreaking tale of a child from Nepal who is sold into slavery in
India. This film is based on a novel by Patricia McCormick and follows the
story of Lakshmi, a thirteen-year-old girl who is forced out of her relatively
normal life in Nepal and sold into prostitution.
The three titles above may be
films, but the issues they bring to light are very real. We hope that you enjoy
these films and that, more importantly, they are the impetus for you to join
the movement to end slavery around the world.
If you want to hear more about what
we are doing to end the system of restavek in Haiti, reach
out to us. We would love to hear from you and share how you can give
hope to those children living in restavek.
Visit our
website to learn more about restavek and what we can do to end the system of restavek together.
*These films were created by separate entities,
and the views they contain are their own and do not necessarily reflect the
opinions or positions of Restavek Freedom.
