In modern Haiti more than 300,000 children are victims of domestic slavery. In Haitian Creole they are called "restaveks" from the French "rester avec" meaning "stay with." Many parents, who live in poverty, are unable to feed their children and give them away to more affluent families, hoping that their child will live in better conditions and will be able to get an education. But, with few exceptions, these children become slaves, working in the homes of their "masters" from early morning till night. Many of the restaveks are not permitted to go to school and are exposed to domestic and sexual violence. Children on the street of the Pétion-Ville refugee camp. Many families lost their houses in the earthquake of 2010, and parents had to send their kids away because of the lack of money and food. Many of the refugee children have become domestic slaves in wealthier homes.
