Haiti: plight of orphaned children - Mirror UK

By Tom Parry on Jan 21, 10 05:15 PM in Haiti



One of the biggest concerns in the aftermath of the Haiti disaster is for the

welfare of children wandering about hungry, thirsty and without their parents.



Here is the diary of Tamar Hahn, UNICEF's spokeswoman in Haiti:



Today we went out to try an ascertain the situation of separated and unaccompanied minors who will be taken into the interim centres being set up by UNICEF to house, feed and care for 900 children who have found themselves alone in the midst of this emergency. It is a time consuming task as just getting around town takes hours but a clearer picture of the situation is emerging and UNICEF is taking action to provide a solution.



The first place we went to now that the interim centres are up and running was the tent hospital where we first met Sean and baby girl. I came here again with our regional Child Protection adviser, Nadine Perault, to take these two children as well as nine-year old Sandie and six-year-old Medoshe to the centre.



But doctors advised us that Sean and Medoshe were not ready to leave, their wounds still not healed enough and at risk of infection. Sean and Sandie have become fast friends and a woman whose 15-year-old son was lying by Baby Girl has become her surrogate mother. She feeds her, rocks her and tickles her and Baby Girl is smiling for the first time since she came in. We felt that it would be cruel to separate Sean and Sandie and that it was best to take all of the children together.



For the next couple of days, until they are all ready to leave the hospital, the children will all be together at the far end of the tent, right by the resting space for the doctors and nurses. The reason for keeping them here is that it enables the medical personnel here to keep a close eye on them as several people have attempted to take the children out of the country.



Illegal adoption was an issue of concern before the earthquake. Amidst the chaos that followed it has become a concern for Haitian authorities who fear children may be taken out of the country without proper legal procedures being followed



While adoption can be a viable option for many children who have lost their parents only seven days after the earthquake it is still reasonable to think that many people are still out there looking for their children or the children of their relatives. To prevent the illegal departure of many children UNICEF is deploying two specialized staff to control documentation at the airport.



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