The Socio-Cultural Movement for Haitian Workers (MOSCTHA) is a non-profit organization founded by Haitian workers in 1984. What started as an idea to provide healthcare to oppressed sugar cane cutters has since grown into a movement dedicated to better and empower these sugar refinery communities. Ninety percent of sugarcane cutters in the Dominican Republic are illegal Haitians, working for less than five dollars a day for roughly eighteen hours of work. It is the organization’s goal to help these impoverished communities get basic needs met. We are dedicated to servicing the sugar refinery communities by offering them clean water and sanitation, healthcare, education, human rights awareness, agricultural development and micro-finance.
Visit their website for more information.. www.mosctha.org

This children are not in the DR, therefore... it is not important if they are slaves or not, bad treatment of Haitians is only valid if it happens outside the Haitian territory. a.k,a. Dominican territory.

-.-

those 225,000 kids can take a strong initiative for themselves, their ancestors fought and defeated the white frenchmen without carrying strong weapons why can't they not fight their government this time and make their country a better place? by working together, they can do it but they just don't know how.

I agree with you ateo1992. But there is something we need to understand, in Haiti the Government is being controlled by big corporations. They can´t do much for their own people even if they want to.

DRandHaiti

The million dollar question is why doesn't your foundation focus on the future of these kids in Haiti instead of the grown old folks who decided to work in the sugar canes because nobody bothered to break the cycle of sugar cane cutters when they were childs. I mean don't you think that these 225,000 could end up cutting sugar cane too? so why not break the cycle where it starts, instead of where it ends. With all due respect if i was running your foundation for a "better Haiti" in the future why not concentrate on Haiti's future inside the country. It all seen to me that there are more "foundations" willing for these cycles to go around so they can stay in business than those willing to fix the problem for good.

I was just a volunteer. I believe they are working in Haiti too. As far as I know they build schools and water pumps for underprivileged communities of Haiti. They do a lot of great things for both The Dominican Republic and Haiti. You need to know that about 90,000 Haitians cross the border of the Dominican Republic and Haiti every year to cut sugar. But I do agree with you.. I was just glad to be there helping people.

Its interesting to see how the Haitian posters on this site love to bash anything Haitian related in the DR, but when it comes to severe abuses such as this in Haiti, they keep their mouths shut. This is a disgrace to Haiti's very roots, which were planted against slavery. Haiti needs a lot of work if it's ever going to come out of the hole. All these organizations working in the DR for Haitians should relocate to Haiti and publicize to hte world what's really going on over there. They should empower Haitians in their own country so that they can make a difference at home.

Great opportunity for Cheney and Haliburton. Seize the potential, if not already.

sad story!

Hey, a little work does not hurt anybody. I don't know anybody that has died from hard work. It is good for the soul.........ce la vie, mon cherie.....

Nevertheless, if this is really true slavery, then the authorities should take action, but it must first be investigated before reporting a misleading story, which is what I suspect. No doubt this may be similar to the not too long ago ruckus made about "Haitian slaves" working in the Dominican bateyes. When you asked each and every one of the so called "slaves" if they wanted to go back to Haiti ALL OF THEM SAID POSITIVELY and ABSOLUTELY NO!!!!!! They clearly wanted and preferred to remain and live in the DR working in the sugar cane fields as hard as they could.

Now some one, explain THAT to me. A false story defeats the purpose, but a more accurate one would better serve their needs and defend the cause, advocate for improved working conditions for Haitian workers rather then sensationalist reporting to make the DR look bad

1. Those kids in the picture don't look Haitian.
2. The "slavery" described is what was normal in the DR just a couple of generations ago
3. What are the going rates?
4. Where do you go to get them?

If it's really slavery, the answers to those Qs should be in the article.

More than anything else , I hate the stories of ill treatment of children and I hope the UN can step in and direct welfare to these innocent young people who deserve more. God knows no state boundaries and the poor in Haiti need just as much help as the poor,especially children, in the DR or in Africa or elsewhere

Maybe, it's D.R. FAULT.

it is the fault of society who,especially in developing countries ,have not yet the learned the principle of looking after those less fortunate than themselves..the principle that Queen Elizabeth spoke about again in her Christmas message when she spoke of those who work and give to those less fortunate ...the pictures of the recent meeting of the Commonwealth in Trinidad and Tobago were fantastic.

poor kids!!

I think those #'s are way off, they probably will surpass 1 mil if you add the 75,000 haitians kids begging in DR streets right now.

225,000 uneducated impoverished unarmed children can fight against their government? I think that's very ridiculous and easy to say sitting comfortably somewhere being able to type that message. Easier said then done especially when a person is a child struggling to survive day to day on bare minimum essentials. Sad that children are still being used as slaves in 2009 but this is a global problem amongsts the world's poor populations.

We should all go to the Haitian Embassy and put up a good anti-slavery demonstration. Then take them to the Inter-American Court...The Haitian people have no shame the claim to be the black liberators and all they have done is just to drag slavery into the 21st century.

"Young servants are known as "restavek" –Haitian Creole for "stays with" and their plight is widely known.. "

The title of this article is twisted and attempts to distort reality. What we are dealing here is about issues of culture and poverty, not slavery; the abuse of children known as restaviks or children servants. Impoverished families usually from rural areas, unable to provide even the most basic of needs, voluntarily send their young to live and work as servants with better economically abled households in exchange for food, clothing, shelter and sometimes education. This practice has been part of Haitian culture and has worked quite well for a long time and It is not only common in Haiti, but also the DR as well. The problem arises when you involve children and unscrupulous people that when given the opportunity, take advantage of the most weak and vulnerable. They commit premeditated abuse against defenseless minors, aware there will be little to no consequence

I cannot believe some of the remarks made about these exploited children. The are children in God's eyes and the Catholic churches eyes it doesnt matter what nationality they are. Many of these slaves are found in Florida each year when Haitian families immigrate with them. Thankfully child protective services does their job and tries to protect them.

Sadly, there is a long history of Haitian discrimination in D.R. the negative comments prove that the ignorance still exists.

akdominicanfamily-Can you please give us some examples of ignorant comments made by the posters of this article. And given the current tragedy in Haiti and the solidarity demonstrated by the Dominican people, can you truly say that their is discrimination in the DR?

The United Nations and Amnesty International says the same thing. Look on their websites...

akdominicanfamily-Do not judge people by what others say, but by what they actually do.

Have you not heard that actions speak louder then words?