Americans Charged with Abduction in Haiti
Ten U.S. citizens accused of kidnapping have been arraigned in Haiti.
The Americans are members of the nonprofit Christian ministry New Life Children’s Refuge which was trying to relocate an estimated 100 Haitian orphans to a new orphanage in the neighbouring Dominican Republic.
The Missionaries who were in the custody of 33 Haitian children at the time of their arrest had no documentation and have now been charged with child trafficking.
In the aftermath of the earthquake, the Haitian government called for a stop to new international adoptions, saying the consequences of rushing children away from their homes could be severe on children separated from their families. U.N. guidelines stipulate a two-year period to trace families before children are adopted. Child protection expert, Deb Barry says “No matter how horrific the situation looks … the full process of reuniting children with parents and relatives must be completed.” UNICEF says a directory of children separated from their families should be compiled followed by intensive efforts to find their relations. International adoption, it appears should be a last resort. Aid agencies are working hard to find safe, well-supplied halfway houses where children may be kept while the search is ongoing.
A spokesperson for the Idaho-based Central Valley Baptist Church, where most of the detainees worshipped says that the ten accused persons were wrongly detained asserting that the children had been verified as orphans from an orphanage in Port-au-Prince. Another report says at least ten of the children in question have parents who are living. In a Thursday report, the New York Times quotes the Lawyer for the group of accused persons Edwin Coq as saying that most of his clients are “innocent… [but] if the judiciary were to keep one, it could be the leader of the group”. The leader of the group is Ms Laura Silsby. Read the NY Times report @http://nyti.ms/8YrpMd More stories on Haiti earthquake@ http://www.feelnubia.com/african/87/earthquake-in-haiti
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