[amyfk]

HI to the List and Prospective Adoptive Parents,

Earlier today, July 8th, I watched ABC News Nightline. The feature story was about children in Haiti who came from such poor families that they were sold into slavery to slightly "richer" families on the island. I found this shocking.
I knew that Haiti is the poorest country in the hemisphere, but I didnt know about how many kids in Haiti, and worldwide were sold into slavery. Supposedly the lucky kids are the ones who end up in the orphanage.
The girl featured on the program ended up being saved from slavery and ended up in an orphanage. I hope she ends up being adopted. It's sad, the future looks really poor for kids there. The folks who are adopting from Haiti are really doing a wonderful thing for kids who would otherwise have a miserable existence.
Amy K, NJ

ABC News: How to Buy a Child in 10 Hours

[sak9645]

Slavery is only part of the problem.

Prostitution is another horrible situation in which altogether too many children around the world find themselves.

Some poor birthparents are duped into placing their kids into prostitution. They are told lies -- for example, about how their children will work in a restaurant and go to school part-time, thus learning both academic and job skills and sending home money to their parents.

Some birthparents are so desperate, or in such messed up life situations of their own, that they sell their kids, knowing, at least on some level, that they may wind up in unsavory environments.

And some children are kidnapped, or forced into prostitution because they are homeless and living on the streets.

Some of the children forced into prostitution are as young as seven or eight. While girls are the most common victims, there are traffickers in young boys, as well. Unfortunately, there are sickos all over the world who find it exciting to have sex with kids -- and traffickers who are delighted to enrich themselves by providing the children, for a substantial fee.

Children who wind up in prostitution often become HIV+ at an early age. They may also acquire a variety of other STDs and die young, because of lack of medical treatment. They may become involved in drug use. They are often subject to physical abuse and emotional abuse, as well as sexual abuse.

As you say, kids who wind up in orphanages are often considered "lucky", even though we know that child sexual abuse -- by other children and by staff -- is not unknown in orphanages.

Homeless children in many parts of the world are also forced into a life as child soldiers. I don't know if you have read "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier", by Ishmael Beah, but it is a tremendously powerful account of a child from Sierra Leone, who became separated from his family when rebels attacked his village, while he was away at an event. His parents were later killed.

Roaming the countryside with some other boys, he wound up pretty much forced to join the country's army, where he became a killer and a drug addict before he reached his teens. (The army supplied marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, and other drugs, in large quantities, to the trainees.) Luckily, he was rescued and rehabilitated, and has since earned a college degree in the U.S. and become a spokesman for an end to the use of children as soldiers.

He is an amazing, resilient young man now, with tremendous insight into the events that occurred. Still, he has scars on his psyche, I'm sure, that will never fully heal. And many boys who faced what he did will never achieve anything like their full potential. Even some children who were rescued and put into rehabilitation programs did not "make it". They wound up back in combat, committing suicide, ostracized by their home communities, etc.

The good news is that there are groups around the world trying to end child slavery, child prostitution, and child enlistment into armies (government or rebel). The bad news is that they are underfunded and not always welcomed with open arms in some countries.

So, all of you, hug your kids tonight, and give thanks that, while their situations may have been suboptimal, they did not meet any of these fates. And if your resources allow, besides helping out in traditional "adoption" causes, give a thought to donating or volunteering in causes that help children who do not even have the flimsy safety net of orphanages and foster care systems.

Sharon

[amyfk]

Hi Sharon,

I hope you and your family are well and that youre having a good summer. Thanks for sharing. Until we looked into international adoption I had no idea of the terrible fate that many of the world's kids face or will face. I would say in this country many of us have been sheltered from the desperation and poverty faced around the globe.
I will certainly look for the book you recommended. It sounds like an informative read.
Be well,
Amy K, NJ

[hrisme]

Unfortunately, the orphanages are not always safe as well. The first orphanage I visited we had worked closely with, appeared fairly good initially. Of course, there were 40+ children in a 800 square foot home, and an 8 & 9 year old girl provided the majority of the care for the younger children, but no abuse was apparent. Until the children came home & we began learning of abuse, both physical & sexual. In the other orphanage we visited while there, we soon learned that there was also severe physical abuse. As if this is not terrible enough, there are others not Haitian who take advantage of this situation--one individual who set up a home for teenage boys was later found to have sexually abused all the boys in the home.

The changes in Haiti's political system & the adoption process were implemented to protect children, unfortunately this has significantly impacted the ability to locate homes for these children. When I helped with one of the first adoptions from Haiti about 11 years ago the biggest challenge & expense was getting INS approval, then we were quickly able to locate a sibling group of 3. It took about 8 months from start to finish, and cost less than $10,000 total for the children. Now, fees are easily $12,000 per child--not including travel and any "fees" (bribes) to government officials, and most adoptions are taking 18 months or longer. In the meantime, children are languishing in neglectful orphanages & the well-run orphanages are unable to take additional children and are coming close to no longer being able to meet the children's basic needs. Most of their funding comes from adoptions, and since adoptions are basically halted there are no additional funds coming in.

If you are able, please consider assisting with sponsorship of these children while they are waiting to join their adoptive families, or to keep them in foster care in small group homes in Haiti. You can find such organizations through a simple google search--or if you PM me I can give you the contact information for organizations I have worked with who I trust to use the finances appropriately. I am not associated with any of these agencies at this time, but am willing to pass on their contact information.