JANUARY 31, 2010

From Ben Gurr in Port Au Prince, Haiti

A group of American Baptists has been arrested at the border with the Dominican Republic after trying to transport over thirty children out of Haiti. They didn’t have the right documents. To combat child traffiking all border movements of Haitian children has to be personally endorsed by the country’s Prime Minister. 

A press conference on this matter is to be held at the main police station but there is no fixed time for it to start. Concerned that it may not happen in time for our early deadlines we head towards the orphanage where the children have been repatriated. The four we see are all beautiful children, two are so young they can only drink from a teated bottle.

I work fast taking photographs chasing one little boy who still has a pink name tag on his chest put there by the Baptists.

 

The orphanage has been here for twenty five years and is run by a charity called SOS Villages D’enfants International. Haitian women act as surrogate mothers working with children until they are old enough to fend for themselves. There is a calm and peaceful atmosphere inside the secure gates where the children play in safety. Older ones will do chores such as collect water from outside the camp.

 

I hope this group were simply unaware of the tight guidelines in place to control the movement of vulnerable children and their intentions were good