Safe at last... Haiti's tragic quake orphans arrive in the U.S. as officials cut adoption red tape

By David Williams

My girls: Orphans of the Haiti earthquake meet their new mother at Florida airport


They had waited years for this moment and, despite the tragic circumstances, nothing could stop the smiles, hugs and kisses.

And the joy of the American and Canadian families as their dreams of adoption came true was matched by the young orphans plucked from the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake that claimed 150,000 lives.

From Denver to Pittsburgh, from Orlando to Ottawa, the families met their 'new' children for the first time after the authorities slashed red tape to speed up adoptions already under way before the earthquake 13 days ago.

In some cases a two-year adoption process has been compressed to just two weeks to help the orphans escape the ravaged Caribbean island.

But the operation has not been without controversy. There were warnings yesterday that orphans face a growing threat from child traffickers or illicit adoptions.

The Haitian government and aid groups fear unscrupulous traffickers may try to exploit the chaos to spirit youngsters out of the country through the airport or across the border with the Dominican Republic.

'We are very concerned there are increasing reports that children are being picked up and trafficked out of the country,' said Kent Page, a spokesman for the UN Children's Fund.


Welcome: All smiles at Denver airport as Naomi Millar, 21, (R) holds her new sister, Youmide, 7, (L)

Authorities also fear that legitimate aid groups may have flown earthquake orphans out of the country for adoption before efforts to find their parents had been exhausted.

Around 700 children who lost touch with their parents during the quake have been registered and placed in camps and efforts at reunification are under way, said UNICEF.

But in an indication of the scale of the problem, a children's charity in one neighbourhood of the capital of Portau-Prince said it had identified 3,000 children that it considered to be in danger.

Meanwhile the relief operation faced criticism yesterday after aid organisations and U.S. forces were accused of being involved in a 'vanity parade' to show solidarity with victims.


Chaos: The orphans have escaped the trouble in Haiti where many people are fighting over food distributions in Port-au-Prince


Debris: People carry items through the ruined streets of the capital


Guido Bertolasco, the head of Italy's civil protection service, claimed there was a lack of leadership and criticised American forces for having no training to run a major civil relief programme.

He described the operation as a ' terrible situation that could have been managed much better'.

'When there is an emergency, it triggers a vanity parade,' he said.

He added: 'Lots of people get there anxious to show that their country is big and important, showing solidarity.'



source: dailymail