SOS
Children’s Villages, a global organization dedicated to the
long-term care and prevention of orphaned and abandoned children, are
currently caring for the 33 children who are alleged victims of child
trafficking. The Haitian Social Ministry entrusted SOS with the children
– who range from three months to 12 years -- after Haitian police
arrested 10 U.S. citizens attempting to take the children from Haiti to
the Dominican Republic on January 29 in a suspected illicit adoption
scheme. The suspects did not have official papers confirming the
identities of the children, nor did they have official permission to
bring the children out of the country.
“We are tremendously thankful to offer care and protection for these
children”
The 33 children were taken to the SOS Children’s Village in Santo on the
outskirts of Port-au-Prince, one of two SOS Villages located in the
devastated nation of Haiti. All of the children were visibly in need of
special attention and care, and upon arrival were registered with SOS
and given a nutritious meal. The Red Cross, based at the SOS Children's
Village in Santo, promptly examined the children and provided medical
care as needed.
“We are tremendously thankful to offer care and protection for these
children,” said Heather Paul, CEO of SOS Children’s Villages - USA.
“This incident is an unfortunate example of why we need to have proper
regulations in place to protect the children of Haiti during this
distressing time. We are confident the allegations of child trafficking
will be thoroughly investigated, and in the meantime, our focus will
continue to be on providing the best care and support to these children
while we look for their relatives and loved ones.”
The SOS teams are closely monitoring the children while others are
attempting to search for relatives. For security reasons, all staff of
SOS Children's Villages are wearing identification stickers, and all
children from the SOS Children's Village in Santo wear wristbands. Entry
to the SOS Children's Village in Santo is strictly controlled.
SOS Children's Villages is a proponent of The UN Guidelines for the
Alternative Care of Children, the first international document on the
care of children without parental care in non-emergency and emergency
situations. For more information on SOS Children’s Villages and its
Haitian relief efforts, please go to www.sos-usa.org.
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