As part of the international day against child labor, the 9th edition of "AGORA, Chita Pale sou Dwa Moun" received leading personalities, such as Guerline Jean-Louis, Director of Labor at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Fabrice Leclercq, Director of the International Labor Office in Haiti, Cherlie Aimée Register, of the Maurice Sixto Foundation specializing in the reception and support of children in domestic service, Laeticia Degraff, Psychologist of the RAPHA organization, which implements prevention of trafficking and detention of minors, and Samuel Céliné journalist from Ayibopost, who represented the gaze and duties of the press.

In his intervention Guerline Jean Louis indicated that an estimated 207,000 children in domestic service (restavek) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16057-haiti-social-207-000-restaveks-of-less-than-15-years-exploited-in-the-country.html, which however specified that these are figures of 2015 insisting that "domesticity is not a job, it is exploitation".

Faced with this observation, she recognizes that her Ministry is powerless "there is indeed a law dating from June 5, 2003 relating to the prohibition and elimination of all forms of abuse, violence and exploitation, but unfortunately this law has no coercive measures, so it remains an administrative law."

Much work remains to be done. On the ground and in people's minds, as Cherly Aimée Register emphasizes, who travels the country and its most vulnerable areas for the Maurice Sixto Foundation, in order to educate families against child labor sent to the city. "The lack of family planning is one of the causes of domesticity," she explains, concluding, "a child in domestic service is a child whose rights are violated."

Watch this full anti-child labor show :

See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-16846-icihaiti-social-over-200-000-domestic-slaves-under-15-years-in-the-country.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24694-haiti-flash-more-than-200-000-minor-children-work-in-the-worst-forms-of-work.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-17904-haiti-flash-haiti-on-the-blacklist-of-shame.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-15815-haiti-politic-fight-against-trafficking-of-restavek-in-haiti.html

HL/ HaitiLibre