Mwen Se Ayiti Tou - I Am Haiti Too

A Call for Change - May 23, 2009

Historic Gathering of 500+ Haitian Leaders to discuss the Restavek System

On May 23rd, 2009 at 6:00AM, conference organizers from the Restavek Foundation and Fondation Maurice Sixto gathered. They had no idea what to expect. Attendance confirmations totalled just around 300, but with one last sweep of invitations sent to religious, educational, government, legal, law enforcement, health, social services and NGO leadership, they knew to expect the unexpected. By 8:00AM, over 500 Haitian leaders had gathered in prayer to begin the largest ever national Conference on the Restavek.

Cadet hoped that beginning a formal dialog on this issue with Haitian leaders would be the first step to ending slavery in Haiti once and for all. What he did not expect, was the standing ovation he himself would receive when addressing the crowd of dignitaries, leaders and those to whom, as a child, Cadet would have never been allowed to look, let alone to speak.

Jean-Robert Cadet addressed the crowd along with keynote speaker, Mrs. Maurice Sixto, wife of the late renowned Haitian radio personality, who firstbrought the restavek abuses to light in the 1970's. Tifane, Haitian music artist and activist, joined the conference to perform a song written specifically for Haiti's children - "Mwen Merite Lanmou - I Deserve to be Loved."

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