When the rainbows been gone

• Prize
  Gold in Press/Other
• Photographer
  Philipp Schmieja , Germany
• Date of Photograph
  March 2026

They sleep on the floor, sweep the yard, fetch water, and empty their masters' chamber pot. They are beaten daily, some get raped. These are the restavèks, one who stays with. These Haitian child slaves won’t look you in the eyes and are ashamed to talk. They were turned over by their parents to families often out of desperation in exchange for providing food and schooling. Neither the child’s nor the parents’ hopes are usually fulfilled. That culturally accepted practice of child trafficking in Haiti flourishes even more amidst the ongoing rampant gang warfare devastating the country.