Tuesday
Jan192010
Orphans Can Not Be Herded Like Cattle, Says Haitian Ambassador
Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 4:02PM
By Monique Cala-Talk Radio News Service/University of New Mexico
Haitian Ambassador Raymond Acide Joseph told reporters Tuesday that children presumed orphaned following the 7.0 quake that ravaged Haiti last week should not be immediately sent to the U.S.
“We can not take them out of Haiti just like cattle,” said Joseph. “We have to do it in a dignified manner.”
According to Joseph, hastily removing Haitian children before confirming that their parents and guardians are in fact deceased raises concerns.
“We can not just take any kid on the street of Haiti, and put them aboard a plane and send them to America,” the ambassador added.
Before the quake shook Haiti, the Caribbean nation had an estimated 380,000 orphans according to unicef.org. As the death toll begins to rise to 200,000 the number of new orphaned children is expected to increase significantly.
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell (D) brought a number of Haitian orphans back to his home state Tuesday. According to Joseph, the removal was justified since each child had documentation that confirmed their status as orphaned.
Haitian Ambassador Raymond Acide Joseph told reporters Tuesday that children presumed orphaned following the 7.0 quake that ravaged Haiti last week should not be immediately sent to the U.S.
“We can not take them out of Haiti just like cattle,” said Joseph. “We have to do it in a dignified manner.”
According to Joseph, hastily removing Haitian children before confirming that their parents and guardians are in fact deceased raises concerns.
“We can not just take any kid on the street of Haiti, and put them aboard a plane and send them to America,” the ambassador added.
Before the quake shook Haiti, the Caribbean nation had an estimated 380,000 orphans according to unicef.org. As the death toll begins to rise to 200,000 the number of new orphaned children is expected to increase significantly.
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell (D) brought a number of Haitian orphans back to his home state Tuesday. According to Joseph, the removal was justified since each child had documentation that confirmed their status as orphaned.
Reader Comments