Child Prostitution in Haiti

[kathy]

I hope that once people have witness this documentary that they will get up, get out and do something!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6bXZEJjkt4g&feature=related

[Guysanto]

Kathy, thank you for the documentary. Unfortunately, it's not something that we can just "get up, get out and do something" about in isolation. Like the general abuse of children born to very poor families, like the people who are reduced to eating mud pies to fend off starvation, and many other situations that we find repulsive, the root cause is economic misery and the lack of job opportunities. So, before we "get up, get out and do something", we have to think seriously about what that "something" is. Obviously thought without action is practically worthless. But action without thought can be not only worthless, but counterproductive to the original well-meaning impulses as well. So what is needed is a meaningful course of thought-action. From my own experience with the Haitian community around me, the answer lies in "prayer", in "fasting", and "casting out demons", and when nothing works out to go back to "more prayer", "more fasting", and even more energetic "casting out" of that infinitely nasty "Devil". This has been going on as far back as I can remember... When I was growing up, believe it or not, there were poor women prostituting themselves against a wall by the sea in Cap-Haitien for one miserable penny! (one red cent - or if you like, for senk kòb). Since then, things have gotten markedly worse... but so have the economy indices.

There are some "thought-action" groups out there. Let's research who they are, let's support them, let's join them. No need to reinvent the wheel. No need to engage in precipitous, solitary actions. The best thing that you can do is to engage yourself physically, mentally, spiritually in the service of the poor (without becoming poor yourself). Engage yourself for the long haul rather than the moment. Research, pray if you must, but don't stop there. And then do something that is truly significant, because it's been thought through and not based on a simple humanitarian impulse.

Engage yourself, and of course you can take us for the ride too.

Positive thought-action is the only answer.

[kathy]

Guysanto,

thank you for those words. You have truly made me think things through before I put thought into action.

I truly do feel that the gateway out of Haiti's misery lies in the Haitian people themselves. For too long, Haiti and its people have been divided on many levels: color, class, language, etc... We MUST come together and realize that we are all Haitians, no matter what part of the globe we choose to reside. L'Union Fait La Force, In Union, There is Strength...

Secondly, we need to tend to the high illiteracy rate. Too many children, as young as 10 years old, lack basic education; Hence, we must concentrate in fixing Haiti's educational system...

I hope to one day put these words into actual work when I recieve my degree from UMASS Amherst...

Anyone care to elaborate on this matter....