Restavek Elevator Speech
Periclean Scholars
Elevator Speech:
Haiti’s restavec system is technically illegal but is a culturally accepted practice of childhood slavery. Rural families who do not have the means to support their children send their youth to families in urban areas and promise household help in exchange for shelter, food, and hopefully education. What many families are not aware of is the sexual, physical, and emotional abuse children endure when being placed in modern day slavery.
- Add local partners and broader topic of human trafficking
Prolonged Elevator Speech:
- When approaching the restavec system, one must be culturally sensitive to Haiti’s people and their long-standing history with slavery.
- Individuals who hope to improve the restavek issue must look to pair with a Haitian run organization that has integrated ties into the restavek community.
- Success is unlikely if individuals attempt to team with organizations from outside the country because they remain unaware of the underlying factors that cause modern day slavery.
- To address a culturally sensitive topic, individuals must be willing to work with people on their level, in their language, and with their educational ability.
- To improve the restavek issue- we can look to improve education/ provide awareness in rural areas as well as provide rehabilitation techniques for survivors.
- We must also look towards prevention strategies.
- How do we approach a topic that is culturally accepted????
- What do we have to offer? How can we market ourselves? How do we make our availability know to organizations we are interested in partnering with?
- Insure process is mutually beneficial
- Accountability, we and our organization need to be transparent
If you have any questions, comments, or visions, contact me! Colby Halligan: challigan3@elon.edu
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