 "Photo: Kim Shelpman")
The first time Jean-Robert Cadet ever received a hug was when he was a senior in high school.
Jean-Robert Cadet, a former child slave, has dedicated himself to raising awareness about the modern form of slavery that exists in Haiti by sharing his story in the United States, Europe and Haiti. On Friday, in the UCF Library, he urged a group of 30 students at the high school and college levels to help end the restavek system and bring hope to the children of Haiti.
"Yes, it's going on now. That's why I go to Haiti every six weeks, that's why I created the foundation, and that's life on a planet that we're responsible for," Cadet said. "And yes, we are our brothers' keepers. A lot of people don't know that, and I feel it. I know it."
Haitian artwork was displayed around the room during Cadet's address about his past as a domestic servant and his eventual escape through education.
"There is something called fate," Cadet said. "Fate, I think, played a big part in my life because I was very curious. I wanted to learn as much as I could possibly learn."
Forty years ago, Cadet was a restavek. Restavek is a Creole term that translates as "one who stays with." Children that are restaveks "stay with" their hosts, working as domestic servants.
When Cadet was 4 years old, he was given away as a slave. He was made to sleep under the kitchen table and get up at 5 a.m. to fetch water and begin other household chores. Most homes in Haiti did not have water, so the children served as the water distribution system, Cadet said.
He said the hardest part was not being beaten but being in isolation. Restavek children had to stay out of sight but within earshot of their host. They were not allowed to question adults; they could only speak when spoken to.
"They cannot say ‘no,'" Cadet said. "That's the plight of restavek children- when I was a kid, and it is the plight today."
To help give a voice to restavek children, Cadet created the Jean-Cadet Foundation. The foundation provides restavek children with opportunities for education.
Cadet listed four ways he and the foundation have worked to end slavery. The key methods are paying attention to the victims, finding the restavek children's biological parents, working with the community and having a national campaign against child slavery in the country. These tactics allowed them to the change the attitudes of Haitian people toward children.
Cadet recommended and stressed the importance of sponsoring a child. It costs $300 to sponsor a child for a year. The money goes toward tuition, uniforms and books for the restavek child and helps them to hire a child advocate, who goes to the school twice a week to make sure the child goes to school. Cadet said he required the child advocate to give the child a hug because he wanted the children to know and understand affection.
"Restavek children live in total isolation without any affection whatsoever," Cadet said.
Despite the seriousness of the subject, Cadet made the audience laugh with his stories of a misunderstanding at the airport and a phone call from Oprah.
Cadet's story inspired Christian Lexima, a sophomore finance major, to join the fight against slavery. Lexima had read Cadet's book prior to hearing him speak, and said he is interested in getting more involved.
"I definitely recommend it," Lexima said. "He goes into more details in his book, but hearing him speak was a different experience. He has a sense of humor, which I like."
For other students, it was an emotional experience.
"I almost cried during it," said Ashleigh Clark, a senior humanities major. "I really appreciated that he came to speak."
The Center for Humanities & Digitial Research, Haitian Studies project, the UCF Library and the philosophy department sponsored the event.
Cadet's foundation prepared the groundwork for child slavery to be eliminated. He expressed his aspiration to change the mentalities of people through awareness, so that the government in Haiti will take notice.
"There is hope," Cadet said.
is a member of the 
7 comments
I lived in Haiti for five years, and my husband's family have worked there for forty years.
I found this definition on "National Coalition for Haitian Rights"
Restavèk is a Haitian Creole term for a child from a poor family who is handed over to another family to provide "domestic help," in exchange for a better future. The vast majority of these children are blatantly denied their rights to education, adequate nutrition, rest and recreation. So with this definition, a restavek is not always like a slave. And, maybe what this means is that if a child is denied several of the above-mentioned rights, even if they receive one, they can be considered a child slave. So maybe Mr. Cadet received some education but was denied all other basic rights. And maybe at some point he was taken out of that situation to get a better education.It can be good to write a comment that expands readers' understanding of the situation, though. I think you wanted people to understand that things are so different here in Haiti from in the US, that what might appear at first glance like child labor is actually providing a better situation. It sounds like the children at your house are receiving a normal amount of food, rest and recreation.I'm not sure why you're so skeptical of Mr. Cadet without knowing the details. I think a warning about finding out details before donating to something would have been fine. But to call him "a jerk" and say "he should be recognized as such" just because you're not sure how he was both a restavek and eventually became educated, is sad.
In the same way you don't want people to judge you for having Haitian kids doing chores around your house before they "understand a situation," you shouldn't condemn him before you understand his situation.
We are presently housing and feeding 5 kids while we pay for their tuition and uniforms. There really isn't much to do here but they sweep the yard and run errands. I suppose they could be could be classied as a Restavek like Cadet was. Hopefully one or two will manage university, depending on their ability.One must understand a situation before trying to solve it.Some children are taken into homes and treated badly.Others, without any other chance, are taken into a family circle that gives them an opportunity to succeed.This guy is a jerk and should be recognized as such. He is using American sympathy to generate funds without oversight. Perhaps he will be the next scandal in Haiti. We have enough already so another will not make much difference.