Toward Effective Intervention for Haiti's Former Child Slaves
- Restavèk is described as a form of child domestic slavery in Haiti that affects an estimated 300,000 children.
- The article draws on two linked qualitative studies with former restavèk children and their caregivers, with adult respondents (n=32) and child and youth respondents (n=44).
- Children experience a range of problems and mental health symptoms upon leaving restavèk.
- Four of the most prevalent and severe problems are mental health symptoms, experiences of violence, being unwelcome upon return home, and the mental health impact of economic realities at home.
- The article recommends how interventions and services should be designed.
Kennedy, a clinical psychologist who worked in Haiti with the nonprofit Beyond Borders and its partner Fondayson Limyè Lavi, describes restavèk as a form of child domestic slavery affecting an estimated 300,000 children. The article reports two linked qualitative studies, funded by Equitas Group, with former restavèk children and their caregivers. Study 1 took place in the Port-au-Prince area in transitional care settings, and a second part took place in two rural communities to which children had returned through formal reinsertion.
Adult respondents (n=32) and children and youth (n=44) described a range of problems and mental health symptoms after leaving restavèk. The article gives detailed information on four of the most prevalent and severe: internalizing and externalizing mental health symptoms, experiences of violence, feeling unwelcome upon return home, and the mental health impact of the economic realities children face at home. The author provides recommendations for the design of interventions and services.
How to cite
Johns Hopkins University Press (Human Rights Quarterly), 2014, Toward Effective Intervention for Haiti's Former Child Slaves, https://doi.org/10.1353/hrq.2014.0059
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- Johns Hopkins University Press (Human Rights Quarterly)