Chronic aftershocks of an earthquake on the well-being of children in Haiti: violence, psychosocial health and slavery
Date of Publication
1-1-2023 12:00 AM
Security Theme
Natural Disasters
Keywords
Earth Quakes, natural disaster, haiti, child trafficking, natural disasters
Description
Before the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, the nation was already grappling with chronic poverty, a lack of infrastructure, and troubling health indicators that posed significant threats to the well-being of its children. Despite ratifying the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1994, Haiti had some of the highest mortality rates among infants, children under five years of age, and mothers in the Western hemisphere. Educational opportunities were limited, with only 50% of primary school-aged children enrolled, and less than 2% completing secondary school. Additionally, the country faced a multitude of health challenges, including an adult life expectancy of just 61 years and a national HIV prevalence rate of 2.2%. The earthquake brought global attention to the plight of Haiti's children, who make up 37.5% of the population, totaling approximately 3,453,709 children. Child trafficking emerged as a pressing health and safety concern in the aftermath of the disaster, although it had been an ongoing issue in Haiti, often intertwined with other challenges such as poverty, gender-based violence against women, and household health. This analysis draws upon data from the Haitian demographic health survey conducted between September 2005 and June 2006, which included 7,773 surveyed households with 22,495 resident children. The study revealed that 32.5% of households with children met the UNICEF definition of orphaned and vulnerable children, and 5.2% of adult heads of households with children admitted to harboring a "restavèk," a term in Haitian Creole that denotes children in conditions akin to modern-day child slavery. Interestingly, wealthier families were more likely to have restavèks, with approximately 69% of them residing in affluent households compared to 16% in poorer households. Restavèks were also more likely to be girls (77%) than boys (23%), and the system often led to exploitative situations, particularly for young girls who were at high risk of physical and sexual abuse.
Chronic aftershocks of an earthquake on the well-being of children in Haiti: violence, psychosocial health and slavery
Before the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, the nation was already grappling with chronic poverty, a lack of infrastructure, and troubling health indicators that posed significant threats to the well-being of its children. Despite ratifying the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1994, Haiti had some of the highest mortality rates among infants, children under five years of age, and mothers in the Western hemisphere. Educational opportunities were limited, with only 50% of primary school-aged children enrolled, and less than 2% completing secondary school. Additionally, the country faced a multitude of health challenges, including an adult life expectancy of just 61 years and a national HIV prevalence rate of 2.2%. The earthquake brought global attention to the plight of Haiti's children, who make up 37.5% of the population, totaling approximately 3,453,709 children. Child trafficking emerged as a pressing health and safety concern in the aftermath of the disaster, although it had been an ongoing issue in Haiti, often intertwined with other challenges such as poverty, gender-based violence against women, and household health. This analysis draws upon data from the Haitian demographic health survey conducted between September 2005 and June 2006, which included 7,773 surveyed households with 22,495 resident children. The study revealed that 32.5% of households with children met the UNICEF definition of orphaned and vulnerable children, and 5.2% of adult heads of households with children admitted to harboring a "restavèk," a term in Haitian Creole that denotes children in conditions akin to modern-day child slavery. Interestingly, wealthier families were more likely to have restavèks, with approximately 69% of them residing in affluent households compared to 16% in poorer households. Restavèks were also more likely to be girls (77%) than boys (23%), and the system often led to exploitative situations, particularly for young girls who were at high risk of physical and sexual abuse.
