The question of enslavement of Haitian children into commercial sex and forced labor is not a question of “if,” it’s a question of “when.” When will the potential exploiters see the opportunity to make money selling children for sex of labor? When will the international aid run out, and the millions of poor and orphaned Haitian children be left to fend for themselves? When will farms, brothels, private homes, and other places begin to lure children into a life of slavery with the promise of love and comfort? Sooner than any of us would like to admit.
Even before the 7.0 earthquake and its 6.1 aftershock rocked the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, almost a quarter million child slaves were living in Haiti. Most were known as restaveks, and were forced into domestic servitude in private homes for little or no money. Other children were sold in brothels, forced to work on farms, and trafficked to beg and panhandle on the streets. Despite Haiti’s reputation for throwing off the shackles of colonial slavery over 150 years ago, forced labor and forced prostitution have been the reality for many Haitian children ever since. And this disaster and its aftermath will inevitably make a bad situation exponentially worse.
Why will this disaster create the next disaster of widespread slavery for Haitian children? World Vision has a great explanation of the post-quake dynamics that will encourage human trafficking:
The question of enslavement of Haitian children into commercial sex and forced labor is not a question of “if,” it’s a question of “when.” When will the potential exploiters see the opportunity to make money selling children for sex of labor? When will the international aid run out, and the millions of poor and orphaned Haitian children be left to fend for themselves? When will farms, brothels, private homes, and other places begin to lure children into a life of slavery with the promise of love and comfort? Sooner than any of us would like to admit.
Even before the 7.0 earthquake and its 6.1 aftershock rocked the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, almost a quarter million child slaves were living in Haiti. Most were known as restaveks, and were forced into domestic servitude in private homes for little or no money. Other children were sold in brothels, forced to work on farms, and trafficked to beg and panhandle on the streets. Despite Haiti’s reputation for throwing off the shackles of colonial slavery over 150 years ago, forced labor and forced prostitution have been the reality for many Haitian children ever since. And this disaster and its aftermath will inevitably make a bad situation exponentially worse.
Why will this disaster create the next disaster of widespread slavery for Haitian children? World Vision has a great explanation of the post-quake dynamics that will encourage human trafficking:
- Children are separated from their families. Children without adult caregivers become vulnerable to abuse, neglect, and exploitation — especially following disasters — because they have no one protect them or take care of their basic needs.
- Children lack of safe spaces. After disasters like this one, children are often out of school for long periods of time, often with no other safe spaces. Many children end up on the streets, where they are easy targets for exploitation.
- As disaster survivors, children have psychological, emotional, and physical needs which are not being met. Children, especially those young enough that they aren’t able to understand the disaster, often need help processing their experiences. They seek emotional support, normalcy, and affection, and may be more likely to accept these from a trafficker or someone else intent on doing them harm. Children in need of shelter, food, and other necessities may also be more likely to fall prey to exploitation.
- Hasty adoptions can follow disasters. International adoptions may help a very small number of children who are orphaned by this disaster, but they are not an appropriate solution for widespread relief. When organizations and countries attempt to adopt out children too quickly, they risk severing family ties and putting children at risk of exploitation.
Haiti had one of the most serious slavery problems in the world before the earthquake, one which affected children more than any other population. And in the aftermath of such devastation, it is likely that an even larger percentage of the next generation of Haitians will have grown up in some sort of servitude. So how can you help? Donate to Haiti not just now, but in a year, when the cameras have left but the hunger remains. Because that is when your support for children’s organizations and relief efforts may help prevent some Haitian children from living through the impending disaster of slavery.
Photo credit: U.S. Army
source: http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view/slavery_will_be_the_next_disaster_for_haitis_children
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