It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men -- Frederick Douglass

December 2012 Newsletter

Greetings!

My life’s story has taken another step closer to the big screen, since the signing of the contract more than two years ago. In October 2012, I received the script from Hollywood screenwriter David Hammelstein. Reading the screenplay, I now realize how lucky I was to have been trafficked into the United States, and how proud I am to have served in the U.S. Military, where I became a U.S. Citizen. Major motion pictures do take time to make, but I hope it will not take another two years to select actors and begin shooting. The positive impact of a film that would spotlight the suffering of children in restavec servitude makes me impatient for its release. I will keep you posted as new developments arise.

Loudy in slavery, 2010 Loudy enjoying childhood today

Louda in slavery, 2010 - Louda enjoying childhood today

Magdala in slavery, 2010 Magdala enjoying childhood today

Magdala in slavery, 2010 - Magdala enjoying childhood today

Jodenyson in 2012 Jodenyson Today

Jodenyson in Aug. 10, 2012 - Jodenyson in School Today

During the summer of 2012, we recruited 20 girls and 4 boys in restavek situations for the 2012-2013 school year. A new staff member was hired to handle the purchase of uniforms, books, and to monitor the children's progress at school and at "home."

The most important work on the fight against slavery is influencing the new generation by distributing the French version of Restavec to schools and speaking at radio stations.

In June of 2012 an updated version of Restavec was reissued in French. I spent time in November on the French-owned island of Guadeloupe, where I spoke about the restavec problem. Recently I was invited to present at Yale University's conference entitled, "Slavery: Past and Present." These opportunities create broad global awareness which places pressure on Haiti's government and brings the plight of Haitian children in slavery out of the shadows.

Thank you so much for your continuing support.

Jean-Robert Cadet

If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
One of an estimated 300,000 Haitian children enslaved in child labor.

If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
From an isolated, rural area of Haiti where there are no schools, no electricity, no running water and few possibilities for the future.

If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Living in the city with a family who is not your own -- not as a foster child, but as their servant.

If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Between the ages of 5 and 15, and missing out on your childhood.

If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Three times more likely to be a girl than a boy.

If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Up at dawn, before any member of the family you serve, to begin preparing for their day, and in bed well after most other children are asleep.

If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Responsible for preparing the household meals, fetching water from the local well, cleaning inside and outside the house, doing laundry and emptying bedpans.

If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Getting no pay for any of these activities.

If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Unable to see your family or remember where they live.

If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Unable to attend school consistently, if at all -- depending on your owner's financial situation and schedule.

If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Hungry, as you would probably not get enough to eat or food with enough nutritional value for someone who works hard all day.

If you were a restavek child, you would most likely be:
Subjected to physical, emotional or sexual abuse.

If you were a restavek child, you would most likely:
Never have all of your rights as a child respected.