12106: Re: 12094: Re: 12091: President Aristide talks on Restaveks, StreetChildren and (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Jean-Claude CASIMIR <jccasimir@hotmail.com>

I appreciate the good faith many people have when approaching the problem of the restaveks.
For me the best approach is the economic approach. First of all the roots of the problem is the economic conditions of the parents of those kids. It's traditional to see the peasant bring their sons or daughters to work in the city hoping to get in return food, shelter and some schooling. Actually I have seen parents coming to collect money representing the wages of their kids.
We always had laws in Haiti ,for example every kid is supposed to attend school. Enforcing them is the problem. The enforcing authorities are practicing the restavek system.
Only with economic development, when the country can provide work and good income to the parents, provide free schools and generalize the use of electrical appliances (washing machine,dryers stove),then the country will stand a chance to make those changes.
Good intention, good will and a lot of volunteerism won't be sufficient to change Haiti. A chacun son metier et les boeufs seront bien gardes.... Les soldats doivent retourner dans leurs casernes et les hommes d'eglises dans leur eveche, couvent, orphelinat que sais-je? Malheureusement, on doit reconnaitre que le pays n'ira pas loin tant qu'il sera entre les mains d'amateurs. Jean-claude Casimir