Many of us are
fortunate enough to come from privilege. Privilege meaning that, relative to
other nations or people groups, we are given advantages and opportunities to do
or have things that many others might never have.
While we have
all had or will have our fair share of difficult experiences, tragedies, or
trauma, many will never know what it is like to grow up in extreme poverty and
restavek. In Haiti, poverty and restavek, a form of modern-day child slavery, are closely related.
Restavek is caused largely by extreme poverty and parents no longer being able
to support their growing families.
The more we
know about restavek, the better we can empathize, and empathy may be just the
impetus we need to end the restavek system in our lifetime. But, like the old
adage goes, we can’t empathize until we have “walked a mile in their shoes.”
With that being
said, here are five ways your life might be different if you were a child
living in restavek:
- You might not go to school
Education is not a guarantee for children living in restavek. Many of our
childhood days were spent begging our parents to let us stay home from school,
or feigning sickness. Children in restavek are itching to be in the classroom.
To be with other kids. To learn. To find relief. - You might not sleep in
Children in restavek wake up early and go to bed late. Breakfast needs to be
made, chores need to be done, and there is no shortage of cleaning that needs
to be finished before the sun goes down. - You might not feel “stuffed”
Instead of gorging on a meal or treating themselves to dessert, children in
restavek spend their evenings hoping that they get to munch on the leftover
scraps from the meal they prepared for the family they serve. - You might not have dreams
Doctors. Lawyers. Professional athletes. Actors. Musicians. Moms. Astronauts.
The list goes on. When we were young, there was seemingly no dream out of
reach. However, children living in the restavek system rarely have the hope of
escaping the situation they’re in, let alone dare to hope for a career, family,
or following their passions. - You might not get sick of your family
Often, children living in restavek are living with extended relatives or
strangers, and not with their immediate family. With all the petty fights we
have with our siblings, the arguments we get into with our parents, and not
getting the front seat in the car…again…most
of us would confess to getting sick of our families every once in awhile.
Imagine not being able to fight about miniscule matters with our brothers and
sisters, or not having parents around who care enough about us to argue with us
when we are about to make bad decisions. Children in restavek crave the
normalcy of family dysfunction, but may never have the opportunity to be
reunited with their families again.
To say that the
life of a child living in restavek is no cakewalk is an understatement, but
their lives do not have to be entirely hopeless either.
Restavek
Freedom is committed to providing the hope of a future to each child in
restavek and to end the restavek system in our lifetime.
If you are interested in learning more about how
you can join us in our fight against restavek, contact
us. We would love to hear your heart for the issue and talk to you
more about how we can work together to provide hope for children in restavek
