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Wendy Carlson
MIA/MSSW ’11
Restavek Freedom Foundation
I am contracted as a research and development specialist for the Restavek Freedom Foundation, developing policies and procedures for the Children’s Transitional House, a home for rescued restavek girls. Restaveks are child domestic servants, or slaves, numbering about 300,000 before the earthquake. The home is being established through the work of the Foundation’s Child Advocacy Program in Haiti.
Advocates identify restavek children, many whom are emotionally, physically, and sexually abused. Because most restaveks are neglected and have little-to-no access to education, advocates work directly with the families that house these children, encouraging school attendance and advocating for humane treatment. Typically, these children continue to endure a life of hardship, moving to an orphanage or turning to the streets. When children grow older – age 15 or so – they are often turned out into the streets.
In short, there are very few viable options for these kids. Even if a child is able to be reinserted into his/her family of origin, if the family does not get economic aid, the child may wind up back in the restavek system. These circumstances present huge challenges, such as vulnerability to homelessness, begging, starvation, rape, prostitution, and human trafficking. Before the earthquake, the Foundation’s Child Advocacy Program served about 450 children – many perished in the earthquake or remain unaccounted for. After interviewing the children, advocates determined that many needed or wanted to be removed from their homes.
But considering the fractured infrastructure, especially in the social services sector, there are very few facilities to admit these children. Since May 2010, I have been developing policies and procedures for the transitional home – due to open in the fall – that include the Child Protection Policy and Quality of Care Standards. The work includes investigating what successful institutions presently exist in Haiti, communicating with them, and considering how our program can best serve the children.
Our goal is to create a safe, therapeutic facility that can facilitate up to 30 girls, between the ages of 12 and 16. We selected this age range because teen female restaveks are at higher risk for pregnancy and are frequently turned out into the street at these ages. The home will provide the children psychological and health care, educational support, and a safe space to develop social and life skills. But this is not easy. No federally-monitored foster care system exists in Haiti, which makes it extremely difficult to place the thousands of orphaned and displaced children. The Children’s Transitional House is a pilot program and very few models for it currently exist.
My relationship with Haiti began in 1999, when I worked as a caretaker in an orphanage in Port-au-Prince, this being my fourth stay in Haiti within the past year. I feel honored to be part of this program and believe the skills I gained during my SIPA experience have enabled me to embark on this challenging work. Since beginning this project, I have found individuals and organizations to be extremely generous with information-sharing and have learned a great deal vicariously through the efforts of so many working on the ground here in Haiti. This is certainly a time of significant change in Haiti, and every day I witness Haitians fully engaged in life and working extremely hard.
But life is a continual struggle for so many people. There are about 1.6 million displaced people in Haiti, many who are traumatized, disabled, and experiencing great loss. It is too soon to say what impact the earthquake will have on the children we serve or the restavek system. With the increase in international attention, including media focus and a Presidential election this fall, my sincere hope is that enforceable legislation will be enacted very soon to abolish this system of modern day slavery. Frankly put, I desire to work myself out of a job. I would consider that a success.
Wendy Carlson, 08/03/2010