Adoption of Haitian Orphans Complicated by Aftermath of Earthquake

Haiti’s Jan. 12 earthquake has complicated the situation for adopting Haitian orphans.
Adoption of Haitian Orphans Complicated by Aftermath of Earthquake
By
1/26/2010
Updated:
1/26/2010
Haiti’s Jan. 12 earthquake has created a complex situation for adopting orphans from there, and left the fate of many displaced children unknown.

Most of the children on track for American adoption prior to Jan. 12 have had their proceedings expedited and left the country, according to Bonnie Delongchamp, director of communications for Alliance for Children.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Jan. 18 created a “humanitarian parole” policy which cut the red tape on adoptions for Haitian children who were in process or were declared eligible for adoption prior to the quake.

But Delongchamp says that the U.S. Department of State has currently closed off new Haitian adoptions into the U.S. She says that because the situation is “completely chaotic,” and it is unclear what can legally be done for children given the lack of infrastructure in Haiti.

Some adoption papers for children on track for adoption prior to the quake were lost with the destruction of official buildings in Port-au-Prince.

The future of the many children recently orphaned by the earthquake is unknown and authorities must first determine which of the children currently filling the country’s overcrowded orphanages are actually orphans.

According to the DHS, some children have relatives or even parents alive but were separated in the confusion after the quake. Some children were left at orphanages by their own parents who are presently unable to take care of them but who are planning to return for them once their situation stabilizes.

Aid organizations concur that the well-being of Haitian children is the top priority but some say that rushing adoption proceedings is not safe.

The Women’s Refugee Commission Web site notes that well-intentioned efforts to find immediate permanent adoption homes might prove dangerous for children. It urges that “protective mechanisms must be established and respected to ensure that children who can be reunited with family are able to do so and that unsafe adoptions and trafficking of children do not occur.”

Another factor is that abruptly removing refugee children from their familiar surroundings could traumatize children further and cause psychological harm.
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