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#683: new film on restavek (fwd)
From:Kramerkar@aol.com
Dear Leonie,
I read your notice on the Corbett list, asking for information on the
restavek. I wanted to let you know (and hope that you would pass this
information on to whomever else you might feel is interested) that for the
past 2 years, I have been making a documentary about the restavek. We
received a small grant in 1997 and to date have filmed approximately 15 hours
of footage. We filmed several restaveks as they went about their day doing
chores, interviewed them (they were basically pretty shy) and their
caretakers, and went into rural areas to film some of the context of where
these children come from. We also filmed several interviews with progressive
educators, psychologists, and social rights activists who have been working
with or studying the situation of the restaveks. They have given some very
good on-camera interviews which help to put the plight in perspective. I
agree with you that poverty, of course, is at the root of the problem, but
that this must not appear as a justification. As one Catholic priest stated,
" the first step is to raise the consciousness of the people by bringing
attention to this"
I hope to make one more trip to Haiti to film a little bit more, and then we
can begin the editing. Unfortunately, we still have to raise more funds for
the editing process, so if you have any ideas in that regard we'd love to
know about it (we're non-profit) In any case, as soon as the film is
completed, we hope to have a first-rate document about this situation that
many people will be able to see.
Thanks, Karen Kramer