Update on Haiti : Experts question what’s best for Haiti’s orphans

A quick update on the Haiti situation:
The devastating earthquake has left 1 out of every 9 Haitians without shelter, and there is an immediate need for 100,000 tents. Today, Haiti's government requested $3 billion to rebuild (which may take up to at least 10 years to complete). The main focus in Haiti is no longer attempting to find survivors buried under the mess, but to recover and rebuild.

Also, many experts and leaders of Haiti are worried about the steps that should be taken to deal with the great number of orphans found during the aftermath of the quake. They are worried about possible exploitation of these orphans. UNICEF said that they are in the process of investigating reports of children, separated from their families, being sold for labor and/or sex.

However, UNICEF does not encourage the adoption of these orphans by American families. Since the quake, around 360 adoptions by American families have taken place. The agency has long questioned whether international adoption is the right option because of issues such as child trafficking, fraud, and abuse. Also, members of the agency stated that it would be best for the children of Haiti to stay in their homeland but with proper care and provisions provided by experts and social workers that may come from different countries such as the US.

Although UNICEF and many other people may believe that international adoption isn't the best solution to these types of problems, I think that if a orphan has the opportunity to be adopted by a well-off, loving & caring family, then that would be great and in the best interest of the orphan. Maybe adoption agencies can find a way to place stricter policies and regulations on monitoring the child after his/her adoption, in an attempt to prevent the problems stated above, like trafficking and abuse.