Foreign Policy Blogs

A Shocking Look into Child Slavery in Haiti Tonight on Nightline

Tonight at 11:30PM EST, ABC Nightline will air an episode inspired by the first chapter of A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery. The book by E. Benjamin Skinner's, has been heavily touted and a much needed eye opener into the world of modern day slavery.

Tonights episode, How to Buy a Child in Ten Hours, will look into the lives of Haiti's 300,000 estimated child slaves, and shock you with the ease that one can buy a child's life. Early reviews of the episode are saying that the piece is devastating, see a Good Morning America broadcast a teaser here. The episode, which shows ABC's Dan Harris traveling undercover to Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince to broker a deal to purchase a child, all in the matter of time most American's spend in their work day. It is all in a days work to enslave a child.

Earlier this year I brought you the post A Crime So Monstrous and Ending Slavery Shake DC to the Core, where you can see more on this book that will both engulf you into the seedy world of modern day slavery and shock you into action. Skinner's book is truely a must read for anyone with an ounce of moral fiber.

For more on the book please click here, where you can learn more on the plight of modern slavery. A portion of the proceeds from the book will go to Free The Slaves and Anti-Slavery International.

For more on the current situation of children in Haiti, please see my previous posts including; Haiti's Children the Poor of the Poor and Kidnapping and Violence on the Rise in Many Countries

 
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Comments (4)

  1. Mary Wednesday - 09 / 07 / 2008 Reply
    The thing that bothered me about the report is that they did not mention that child slavery goes on in other areas such as the Middle East, in poor areas like Afghanistan. Also, it is VERY common in India as well. There are probably more areas around the world with this problem. For example, just recently, in Georgia, a married couple (an Indian female and a white male) were accused of enslaving another Indian female for years. It was on the news for about 2 minutes and then the story practically vanished. What bothers me about ABC nightline only mentioning of Haiti, is again, the western world, in their disguise of trying to do the right thing, is once again portraying people of African descent as backwards, cruel and naturally delinquent. The only mentioning of Haiti, when this obviously is a worldwide phenomenon is proof enough that they were targeting one group of people to represent modern slavery. Meanwhile, the western world is the force that fuels sexual slavery in places like Thailand, where five year olds are forced into prostitution by their parents. The Russian mail order bride phenomenon is nothing but slavery where you have a woman being bought and sold. However, since it is the western world that commits the crime, it is seemingly all right - it's supposedly not about slavery, its love. Bull, I know of about two Russian females that have been murdered by their husbands. Nevertheless, for some reason, you will never see headline stories about this on the news because white people have an image to preserve. And stories about white men going overseas to have sex with five year olds, stories about white men killing their Russian slave, stories about both white men and women going to poorer countries as sex tourists just wouldn't do because it'll begin to tarnish their foolish notion of white supremacy.
  2. claudine Saturday - 05 / 09 / 2009 Reply
    We have to look at every aspect of slavery among Haitian people to acquire freedom categorically. In Haitian communities in Haiti child slavery is indeed blatant, but so is the enslavement of adults who grew up as slaves. This slave system extends to the United States and is a secret practice among families. Depending on the cruelty of the mistress, certain Haitian adults in Haiti and abroad may find themselves socially murdered by the barriers of their enslavement. Please read further by visiting www.claudineetienne.com.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. [...] Haiti who fought for freedom from slavery, winning independence from France in 1804, at which time slavery was officially ablolished, has now irronicly become a major global hub for modern slavery, seeing victims trafficked both with in the country and internationally.  In neighboring Domenican Republic the  sugar plantations are feed almost soley off the backs of Hatians, and children are sold like common goods as was seen when Nightline took a A Shocking Look into Child Slavery in Haiti. [...]

  2. [...] Haiti’s Restavek system still has a tight grip on the community, leaving some 300,000 children in the country enslaved as domestic workers according to the UN.  It is these children who will continue to anguish and suffer the most in the shadows of the earthquake.  I think now of strained organizations, such as   Limye Lavil, who work daily to fight on behalf of the Restavek children.  Organizations which work tirelessly to address the economic and educational roots of the problem in Haiti are addressed, now are facing an even bigger challenge, to see that the plight of thousands of children are not victimized, revictimized, or lost in the shadows of the disaster.  You can see more on the country’s Restavek children in my previous posts; Haiti’s Enslaved Children and A Shocking Look into Child Slavery in Haiti Tonight on Nightline [...]

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Author

Cassandra Clifford
Cassandra Clifford

Cassandra Clifford is the Founder and Executive Director of Bridge to Freedom Foundation, which works to enhance and improve the services and opportunities available to survivors of modern slavery. She holds an M.A., International Relations from Dublin City University in Ireland, as well as a B.A., Marketing and A.S., Fashion Merchandise/Marketing from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Cassandra has previously worked in both the corporate and charity sector for various industries and causes, including; Child Trafficking, Learning Disabilities, Publishing, Marketing, Public Relations and Fashion. Currently Cassandra is conducting independent research on the use of rape as a weapon of war, as well as America’s Pimp Culture and its Impact on Modern Slavery. In addition to her many purists Cassandra is also working to develop a series of children’s books.

Cassandra currently resides in the Washington, D.C. metro area, where she also writes for the Examiner, as the DC Human Rights Examiner, and serves as an active leadership member of DC Stop Modern Slavery.


Areas of Focus:
Children's Rights; Human Rights; Conflict