Child abandonment - Haiti Observer Blog

International Youth Day is observed annually on 12 August

International Youth Day (IYD) is an awareness day designated by the United Nations, which is observed every year on August 12, since 2000. It is celebrated all around the world with an objective to raise awareness about issues that affect young people who are aged between 15 and 24 years of old, making up one-sixth of the global human population. Each year the occasion is observed with a specific theme. The theme of 2015 was "Youth Civic Engagement" and the slogan for 2014 was "Youth and Mental Health." The logo of United Nation is often associated with the marketing and promotional material for this event. In the face of hardship, 'International Youth Day' is an effort to make sure that young people have the critical skills, tools, and support that they need to become healthy, productive and engaged members of society and they bring great leadership and resilience.

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This is a lesson of dedication and commitment. After spending 42 months in prison for something she did not do, Sister Dona is once again free. Dieudonne Pierre Bélizaire, better known as Sister Dona who founded the orphanage Sister Redeemer of Nazareth, was cleared from charges of kidnapping, child trafficking and criminal conspiracy in a criminal court in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and released immediately. As a reminder, Sister Dona was arrested and put in prison in June 2012 for the disappearance of child Raphaël Chenet. The father of the child accused sister Dona of selling his child. Sister Dona has consistently claimed her innocence.

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International adoption agencies have been taking advantage of poor Haitian parents, luring them to give up their children for adoption. The agencies offer money and assurances the children will be adopted temporarily until the parents can afford to take care of their children again.

The government of Haiti (GOH) has put new restrictions in place to close loop holes in the country's adoption system. The GOH now bans private adoptions, has made accreditation more difficult for foreign adoption agencies to receive, and restricts the number of children available for adoption every year. Rules have also been dictated to focus on grievances brought by parents saying they were persuaded to turn their children over, ignorant of the resulting consequences.

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Haiti has a serious problem with child-care facilities, costing the government of Haiti (GOH) a tremendous sum of money. A study, conducted by UNICEF and Institute of Social Welfare and Research (IBESR), determined orphanages house 80% of children, who have parents or other living relatives.

With 70% of the Haitian population living in dire poverty, many of these families cannot afford to feed their children and abandon them. And it often takes place immediately after birth in maternity wards.

The GOH, due to budget concerns, has been forced to shutter 25 child-care facilities in the country. The 12,000 children from these facilities have been transferred to orphanages that meet green standards. IBESR inventoried 750-plus government-operated child-care facilities, assigning a rating system of "green, yellow, or red" to insure child safety.

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