Slavery in Haiti began after the arrival of Christopher Columbus on the island in with the European colonists that followed from Portugal, Spain and France. The practice was devastating to the native population. During the French colonial period , beginning in , the economy of Saint-Domingue today Haiti , was based on slavery ; conditions on Saint-Domingue became notoriously bad even compared to chattel slavery conditions elsewhere. The Haitian Revolution of became the only successful slave revolt in human history, and precipitated the end of slavery not only in Saint-Domingue, but in all French colonies.
However, this revolt has only merited a marginal role in the histories of Portuguese and Spanish America. Moreover, the struggle for independence in Latin America can be traced to this rebellion in Haiti. During the U. Unpaid labor is still a practice in Haiti. As many as half a million children are unpaid domestic servants called restavek , who routinely suffer physical and sexual abuse.
Additionally, human trafficking , including child trafficking is a significant problem in Haiti; trafficked people are brought into, out of, and through Haiti for forced labor, including sex trafficking. The groups most at risk include the poor, women, children, the homeless, and people migrating across the border with the Dominican Republic.
The devastating earthquake in displaced many, rendering them homeless, isolated, and supremely vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers. The chaos following the quake also distracted authorities and hindered efforts to stop trafficking. The government has taken steps to prevent and stop trafficking, ratifying human rights conventions and enacting laws to protect the vulnerable, but enforcement remains difficult. The U. The natives living on the island that would come to be called Hispaniola welcomed Christopher Columbus and his crew when they landed on the island in October In the Pre-Columbian era , other Caribbean tribes would sometimes attack the island to kidnap people into slavery.
When Columbus arrived in what is today Haiti in December and met the native Taino Arawak people , they were friendly, exchanging gifts with the Spaniards and volunteering their help. When Columbus returned to Europe in , 30 Spaniards stayed [8] to build a fort there called La Navidad. They began stealing from, raping, and enslaving the nativesβin some cases they held native women and girls as sex slaves.
