Dozens of Haitian children have arrived in Pittsburgh, on the heels of U.S. policy changes for visa requirements aimed at expediting adoption of Haitian orphanages. The new policy will affect about 900 children, all of whom had already been identified as orphans. But aid groups estimate that tens of thousands of children could have been orphaned in the recent earthquake.

"It normally takes three years to adopt a child from Haiti, because of a lengthy process required under Haitian law," the New York Times reported Jan. 20. "The Haitian government has had reason to be cautious; there are about 200 orphanages in Haiti, but United Nations officials say not all are legitimate. Some are fronts for traffickers who buy children from their parents and sell them to couples in other countries."

The change in U.S. policy will speed up the process for Haitian children whose adoptions have already begun but have yet to be finalized. A spokesman for U.S. Homeland Security told the Times that the department is walking a fine line -- trying to assist children who are truly orphans without separating children from relatives who are still alive.

Labels: haiti, adoption_laws

Posted By: Aspen/CRC