Restavèk children in context: Wellbeing compared to other Haitian children

The authors from The Ohio State University College of Public Health note that an estimated 300,000 Haitian children are restavèks, living as unpaid domestic servants, and that researchers and advocates lack information on how their circumstances compare with those of other Haitian children. Using a cross-sectional analysis of the 2012 Demographic and Health Survey, they compare restavèk children (n=245 weighted) with all non-restavèk children aged 5 to 14 and with the poorest quintile of non-restavèk children, out of 13,907 children.

Restavèk children had lower school enrollment (79.3% compared with 92.7%) and more domestic work, but experienced less physical abuse (8.6% compared with 16.6%) and less hunger in the past month (53.1% compared with 68.5%) than other children. Restavèk children were more likely to be female (65.2% compared with 48.7%). Compared with the poorest quintile, differences in enrollment and physical abuse were not statistically significant, though restavèks remained less likely to have experienced hunger. The authors conclude that the finding that restavèk children are better off in some respects shows the extent of poverty in Haiti, and that structural changes for poverty reduction will be required before the system ends.