In its latest report, the Walk Free Foundation, examines the various forms of modern slavery [examples: use of children in domestic work or work in the fields, forced labor with little or no wage, forced marriage, trafficking, etc...] around the world. While recognizing that the calculation of the number of enslaved people in our societies is complex because of the difficulty of obtaining data on a sector by definition illegal, he Walk Free Foundation in its conclusions rank nevertheless Haiti, as the second country in the world, with the largest proportion of people enslaved !

Conclusions that have provoked a strong reaction from the office of the Prime Minister :

The Government of Haiti vigorously rejects the conclusions of a recent report by the Free Foundation Walk on the presumed prevalence of "modern slavery" in Haiti.

As the first country to be free from slavery, Haiti has always been at the forefront of all the great struggles that have shaped humanity. This country currently led by the tandem Martelly-Lamothe is a brave Nation that proudly works to solve its problems.

This report unduly inflated figures and goes against the efforts of the Haitian government to find lasting solutions to the problem. The Walk free Foundation comes with its so-called findings by multiplying the estimated percentage of the target population from surveys based on random samples and estimates from secondary sources.

The Government is not aware of any serious sample survey on this issue. Instead, its own analysis of estimates of called secondary sources suggests that this report is based largely on anecdotal stories. The Government calls the Walk Free Foundation to exercise caution and invites its international partners to support the efforts of data collection of its organization of Child Protection.

Over the past three years, the Martelly administration has launched many initiatives to end the practice consisting in making children work from an early age. These include both the development of the capacity of State services and the improvement of existing legislation to end all forms of child labor in Haiti.

The Government has also identified the root causes of domestic labor and child trafficking through the development of Universal Schooling Program Free and Compulsory (PSUGO) to support the families to send their children to school. Only this year, the Haitian government has enrolled more than 1.2 million children. The Government has also attacked the problem through cash transfer programs for disadvantaged mothers who head single-parent families, which, without the support of the Haitian government, were likely to send their children to the streets to work.

The Government of Haiti through its social assistance program "Ede Pèp" has also developed a major initiative of providing food aid to people living in difficult neighborhoods.

With the help of UNICEF, the number of offices of the agency of child protection in Haiti rose from four to ten making it easier for families to access social services. These organizations have developed a new protocol for the movement of children, requiring documentation validated by the competent authorities before traveling these children beyond the borders of Haiti.

The Government has worked with international partners such as IOM and UNICEF, to develop a draft law against trafficking, which, after being approved by the lower house, just waiting for the ratification of Senate. When this bill will be passed, it will provide for the establishment of an interdepartmental working group on trafficking of human beings and an action plan on the issue.

The Government urges its international partners to help Haiti in the development of techniques of data collection that would allow him not only to measure the impact of its initiatives, but also to have reliable information about the position and movements relating to children in Haiti.

HL/ HaitiLibre