Haiti parents testify they gave kids to Americans

AP via Yahoo News ^ | Feb 9, 2010 | KIRSTEN JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

[ETL]

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Parents of some of the children who 10 U.S. missionaries tried to take out of Haiti after its catastrophic earthquake told a judge Tuesday that they freely handed over their kids, the Americans' lawyer said.

The parents' testimony means no law was broken and "we can't talk any more about trafficking of human beings," attorney Aviol Fleurant told reporters.

[MarMema]

Hotel - there was no orphanage yet. It was all still a pipe dream.

[CajunConservative]

It also happens that the last news article about the raping, looting, and other nefarious activities by the 5000 or so escaped prisoners was the same day these 10 were arrested.

Did the criminal thugs just start behaving when these folks were arrested or was our wonderful media helping the zer0 out by vilifying these people?

[CaribouCrossing]

Those “third world countries” sound a lot like the U.S. these days. “Corruption is rampant” and you need to have a “wad of cash” to fix any misunderstandings.

One could presume that those doctors and EMTs who came in from the Dominican Republic had their papers in order, and were given some sort of authority to help. If not, then by your take on things, the Haitian authorities would have jailed them as well.

Great caution should be taken whenever entering or doing “business” in a foreign country. Sadly, some folks just don’t think before they act.

I just don’t know what to think about this particular situation. But like all situations such as this, the truth usually wins out.

[MarMema]

And yes they were planning to see them be adopted to the US.

Ten days ago she gave away her youngest daughter, 12-year-old Benatide, to a group of American Baptists who promised to give her a better life abroad by finding a Christian family to adopt her.

for all who think this woman was on a level playing field, read this

[freeandfreezing]

I think they took advantage of the parents right in the worst catastrophe of their lives. They were vulnerable.

Have you ever been in a third world country during a disaster? Its all well and good to keep parents with their kids, but I've witnessed first hand situations where those kids will all be dead in a month or so. We couldn't do anything for them, but I can't see how it would have been "taking advantage of the parents" to help save their children. The parents were begging for help where I was.

What would you do in that situation? Leave the kids to face a very desperate situation with their parents or take the baby the mother is holding up to you and try to save it?

[justsaynomore]

One investigative reporter in Haiti following up on this situation said he could only find one family that would _not_ consider giving up their kids (and they were talking adoption, not this situation where the kids could return), if it promised them a better life. And some of the parents of the kids involved in this case said they wouldn't be able to care for the kids if they were forced to take them back. It's a very difficult situation.

Very sad but not surprising... I spent a summer there doing mission work several years back and we had 3 or 4 families begging our group to take their children to America with us. As for the person that heads up this group, there's something not right about her. I know someone much like her and while she seems to be trying to do good she really lacks judgment and sense. She is in way over her head, and would not surprise me if she ends up in jail one day too.

[Frantzie]

Guess you don't know how welcome Haitians are in Dominican Republic. Cosndiering one side of the island is fairly nice and the other side is hell on earth before the earthquake. Yeah the Dominicans roll out the red carpet for the Haitians - not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispaniola
Demographics
Haiti has 9 million inhabitants, the Dominican Republic, 9.6 million. Life expectancy is 61 years in Haiti, 73.7 years in the Dominican Republic. Literacy rate (over 15 years old) is 52.9% in Haiti, 87% in the Dominican Republic.

Economics
Personal income
Annual per ca pita income is $1,300 in Haiti, $8,200 in the Dominican Republic.[7]

Looks like these orphans were not really orphans and the Baptist were scamming. Maybe those Baptist should dance more and drink more liquor instead of lying.

[CaribouCrossing]

If I put myself in those Haitian parent’s position, I can sure see where you’re coming from. It’d be so easy to convince the parents of these children that we know best for you and your child.

That being said, I’m not sure what the truth is in this case, but I do have a feeling that some of these missionaries were ignorant of some extremely important legal issues.

[Frantzie]

So let’s bring em all to America so I can pay for them. We are going broke people. California is $52 billion in debt at least. Duma*ses when there “ain’t no” social security then I am going to laugh.

Maybe those Baptists should be back in America helping Americans because we are gonna be looking and Obamavilles like hoovervilles soon.

[CajunConservative]

It was mentioned on an earlier thread that all of her issues are classic bipolar symptoms.

[Gene Eric]

>> “Smart Power.”

Not always on.

[CaribouCrossing]

“It also happens that the last news article about the raping, looting, and other nefarious activities by the 5000 or so escaped prisoners was the same day these 10 were arrested.

Did the criminal thugs just start behaving when these folks were arrested or was our wonderful media helping the zer0 out by vilifying these people?”

I might have missed some news on this story. Did Obama vilify these missionaries? Or are you talking about Obama vilifying the criminal thugs in Haiti?

[MarMema]

31/01/2010 - Late evening on 29 January, the Haitian police have arrested ten U.S. citizens caught trying to take 33 children out of Haiti to the Dominican Republic in a suspected illicit adoption scheme, authorities said on Saturday. The suspects could neither show official papers confirming the identity of the children nor any official permission for bringing the children out of the country.

I have three children who were adopted internationally, on three separate occasions. Cracking down on this kind of predatory behavior for adoption is necessary and important.

[vaudine]

JMO--I suspect these Christians were legally careless, but were trying to get a contingent of children over to the Dominican Republic and out of Haiti, so they could survive. I also think Haiti, a Voodoo nation, has some leaders very much against Christians, although there is also a Christian population. I think the UN and most of USAID and other US govt. workers are suspicious of and ready to blame Christians, as well as the media--always blame the Christian movement. Just how I see it--complicated and many faceted.

vaudine

[CajunConservative]

Zer0 was getting negative attention about his handling of things. All hell was breaking loose until this story came out and there really hasn’t been much reporting on anything else going on over there.

[MarMema]

Each country has laws in place for parental relinquishment,
but all of them involve signatures of the parents and
often witnesses and official seals.

[MarMema]

Since they took a ton of aid with them, why not hand it out instead of trying to take the children to another country?

Seems like most other Christian groups are doing just that. And none of them are in jail.

[CaribouCrossing]

Thank’s for that link, MarMema. Maybe there is a reason why our government isn’t rushing to the aid of these folks...or not yet, anyhow. I’m not one who believes in jumpin’ the gun, to so speak, but there’s quite a bit of information being reported that has me doubting the integrity of this so-called rescue mission.

[CaribouCrossing]

“Zer0 was getting negative attention about his handling of things. All hell was breaking loose until this story came out and there really hasn’t been much reporting on anything else going on over there.”

I noticed the lack of new information on this story. Doesn’t surprise me though. We’ve got an awful lot of bad business going on in our country and the world. Makes it kind of difficult to find much concern leftover for a group of doo-gooders gone wrong. Still, I hope they’ll be o.k. and that they weren’t trying to do what they are accused of.

[MarMema]

When you adopt internationally you pay a fee to the "finder" of the child. Currently Bethany is listing the Haitian incountry fee as 12 grand per child.

The younger and healthier the child, the higher the fee in many cases.

That busload of children was a gold mine if you knew you had evangelical connections back home to parents willing to make the second mortgage to help a child.

The media hype about kids in Haiti was just gravy for this woman.

That said I think most of the group were innocent and I don't know the specifics for Haiti, but wow, we had to climb through ten million hoops to bring a child into the US, medical too.
So I don't know where she was going to get the documents, or maybe she was planning to solicit donations forever.....

But you don't go into a disaster zone and solicit for children to place overseas. It's not ethical.