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Essay / Causes of Human Trafficking in Haiti - 1377
Even though Jean-Bertrand Aristide held the position of president, the society still suffered from brutal acts of violence. Fearing overthrow, the military acted in this way to deprive the Haitian people of their freedoms (Americas Watch, 1). However, after Aristide's resignation in early 2004, Haiti continued to struggle to gain control and organize law enforcement (Trafficking in Persons Report 2005). As if the country did not already suffer from enough internal conflict and discord, the 2010 earthquake only made Haiti's situation worse. Infrastructure was destroyed, debris littered the streets and blocked most of Port-au-Prince, families were displaced from their homes and chaos ensued. The chaos following the earthquake led to an increase in the number of restavek children in Haiti due to families' loss of resources and the high rate of kidnappings. One of the most significant effects of the earthquake on Haiti was the economic impact; it deprived poor families who were already struggling to make ends meet of their property and resources. Although they certainly wanted to avoid it, sending their children to work or donating their bodies for sexual purposes seemed to be the only viable option. As a result, the humanitarian crisis caused by the earthquake has intensified the human trafficking crisis. The presence of the trafficking problem is familiar in Haiti, but there are still no significant efforts to resolve this problem. Naturally, a problem cannot be resolved if guidelines or sanctions are not put in place. As noted in the 2010 Human Trafficking Report, "the national police's child protection unit, the Brigade for the Protection of Minors, does not prosecute cases of forced labor or forced prostitution because 'there is no legal regulation.