Attempts to bring Haitian children to Turkey faltering

With a group of 10 Americans detained in Port-au-Prince after allegedly trying to transport children out of Haiti, a Turkish charity’s efforts to bring Haitian children to Turkey appears to be faltering.

An official from the Turkish charity, the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or İHH, said the Haitian government is now examining the situation extremely carefully following the incident with the American group.

Durmuş Aydın, who handles the İHH’s external relations, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that the procedures to bring the Haitian children to Turkey appear to have been suspended for the near future.

Following the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, the İHH landed in the country and has since been providing food for 2,000 people, including 700 children who have been separated from their parents. İHH officials recently attempted to bring the children to Turkey with an eye to adopting them in the future.

Psychology experts, however, criticized the charity’s plans, claiming the children’s mental state would be negatively affected by leaving Haiti.

“Our talks with the U.N.-assisted Haitian government continue, but they do not seem to be enthusiastic about sending orphans to Turkey,” said Aydın, adding that the İHH’s attempts have not contravened any international or local laws.

“We are waiting for legal permission. If we receive permission, we will be led by the interior and foreign ministries of Turkey in every issue regarding the orphans, including their care and adoption,” he said.

The İHH is still searching for a building in Port-au-Prince to house the children. “We found an old orphanage in the capital city and we are trying to get permission to use this building for the orphans. However, like everything else here, it is hard to find an authority to get permission,” said Aydın.

Meanwhile, the American Baptist group is being detained at a building where government ministers are giving regular briefings. Haiti's justice secretary, Amarick Louis, told The Associated Press that a commission would meet Monday to determine if the group would go before a judge.

The group’s Haitian Orphan Rescue Mission was described as an effort to save abandoned, traumatized children. The team was planning to establish an orphanage across the border in the Dominican Republic for 33 children, according to group spokeswoman Laura Silsby.

/Huriyyet Daily News/