The Price of a Haitian Child? 1 Euro
Unfortunately, this is one of the stunning revelations from the latest UNICEF reports on the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake. The Daily Telegraph has a must-see video on the work of the Brigade de Protection des Mineurs (BPM). This group works ”in conjunction with the police – which monitors the camps and Haitian borders to pinpoint vulnerable children.”
The article highlights a story of a 38-year-old mother who sold each of four of her children for 1 Euro apiece when she lived in Tabarissa camp. UNICEF found the woman with her remaining child, a 10-month old, and is assisting them.
The BPM shockingly asserts,” that her children were given false records and then illegally adopted by European families via an international adoption agency.
A Unicef spokeswoman said: “Well meaning parents in the US and Europe have no idea that children are being kidnapped, stolen and bought from the displacement camps of Port au Prince.”
Many US agencies have re-opened their Haiti programs and continue to sign on new clients.
The porous border into the Dominican Republic is one of the key monitoring locations. “Most of the children that are trafficked into the Dominican Republic have fallen victims of prostitution or these children are adopted illegally.” The video shows the BPM stopping a bus and doing their routine document checks of all children under age 18. They have screened around 7,000 youth so far.
“Thirty five people have been arrested on suspicion of offences relating to kidnapping but under current legislation, there is no law against trafficking in Haiti.”
Haiti Earthquake Children Sold By Traffickers for as Little as 76 Pence Each
[The Daily Telegraph 2/21/11 By Glen Milner and Caroline Gammell]
One of the February 2011 UNICEF reports explains how many of the 7,000 screened youth did not have documentation. “Between May and December of 2010, the Brigade de Protection des Mineurs stopped 1,437 children trying to cross the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic in Belladere without any proper documentation. This is four to five times more than the number of children stopped at any other border point between the two countries.”
[UNICEF 2/16/11 report]
Additionally, “UNICEF estimates that at least 2,000 Haitian children were trafficked to the Dominican Republic last year. The impact of the January 2010 earthquake has probably made the situation worse, as many families have become poorer.”
[UNICEF 2/3/11 report]
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