Child Labor in Domestic Service ("Restaveks") in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Haitian children who live and work away from home as unpaid servants are known as restavèks.
This phenomenon is widespread in Haiti, and the children involved are exposed to a range of
physical and psychological risk factors as well as limited school attendance. While previous
research has explored the experience of restavèks and the opinion of experts on the issue, little
research has provided detailed information on the experience and motivations of the biological
families of child servants as well as the families that host them. The intention of this study was to
shed light on the sending and receiving families in an effort to better understand the root causes
of the system. Additionally, the study sought to understand the policies and programs that exist
to address these causes and to provide additional information on children’s working conditions.