First Major Study Explores Urban Violence, Human Rights Issues

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly a quarter million impoverished children - mostly young girls - are forced to work as unpaid domestic servants in major Haitian cities, according to the first major survey of Haiti's human rights situation, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) announced.

Called restaveks, these very poor children are sent by their parents to live in other homes with the idea that they would have access to education and food. PADF's ground-breaking study, which focused on key neighborhoods in five major cities, found that 16 percent of all children are restaveks.

"Restaveks are prone to beatings, sexual assaults and other abuses by host families," says Herve Rakoto Razafimbahiny, PADF's Protecting Human Rights in Haiti Program Director. "This major survey is a key tool in our efforts to eliminate this stain on dignity."

With support from the U.S. Agency for International Development's Haiti Mission, PADF conducted the largest field survey on human rights violations, with an emphasis on child trafficking, abuse and violence. It consists of nearly 1,500 door-to-door surveys in troubled urban neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitien, Gonaives, Saint-Marc and Petit-Goave.

Independent of the restavek issue, the published report - called "Lost Childhoods in Haiti: Quantifying Child Trafficking, Restaveks & Victims of Violence"-- also revealed details about the extent of violence in urban areas.

More than 7 percent of urban households surveyed by PADF cited incidents of rape, murder, kidnapping or gang involvement. In terms of incidents of physical assault, Port-au-Prince households had more than double the average (nearly 16 percent) than other cities.

Overall, respondents attribute the vast majority of violence to armed civilians and politically partisan groups, including gangs. However, a majority of victims do not report incidents to authorities.

Based on this in-depth survey and analysis, PADF makes nine recommendations to deal with the tragic situation of restaveks, support for victims of violence and abatement of child trafficking. For example, the vast majority of restaveks are girls, yet more social services (such as shelters) are available to boys.

For the past two years, PADF's Protecting Human Rights in Haiti program has been working closely with the Haitian public institutions with a mandate to protect human rights, as well as non-governmental organizations that focus on human rights and the private sector. The services provided by PADF's partners and supported by its program include shelters for vulnerable children and children in servitude, vocational training, schooling, health services, counseling and rehabilitation of children recruited by gangs and children in prostitution.

"Lost Childhoods in Haiti: Quantifying Child Trafficking, Restaveks & Victims of Violence" is available at no cost online at www.ITooAmHaiti.org.

About PADF

PADF, in the third year of a USAID-funded project called Protecting Human Rights in Haiti, is working in partnership with Haitian public institutions, NGOs and the private sector in support of shelters and integrated services for victims of trafficking and victims of violence, mainly women and girls who have been victims of rape, raising public awareness and conducting advocacy campaigns.

PADF is an independent, non-profit organization that creates public-private partnerships to assist the least advantaged people in Latin America and the Caribbean. PADF creates economic opportunities, strengthens communities and prepares for and responds to natural disasters.

PADF is based in Washington, D.C., with field offices in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is an affiliate of the Organization of American States (OAS). In the past year, more than 5.6 million people in 18 countries benefited from PADF and its programs. www.padf.org and www.ITooAmHaiti.org.

SOURCE Pan American Development Foundation

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http://www.padf.org
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