07/12/2010

Synopsis

Fergal Keane talks to Jean-Robert Cadet. Born in Haiti, Jean-Robert became a domestic slave when his mother died. He was four years old. On the island they are called 'Restavecs', children given board and lodging in exchange for unpaid work around the home. There are estimated to be over a quarter of a million Restavecs in Haiti. And the number has almost certainly swelled with the children left orphaned by the earthquake earlier this year. Jean-Robert Cadet tells Fergal Keane about how his early experience as a slave has affected his life and why he is putting pressure on the Haitian government to make the practice unacceptable.