January 19, 2010—Baton Rouge, LA—Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge (CCDBR)—the area’s only Hague-accredited agency for international adoptions—cautions families trying to adopt Haitian orphans at this time. Catholic Charities agencies nationwide have fielded calls from compassionate people interested in adopting Haitian children.

 

“The first priority is to identify and protect children in need, trace and help reunite children with their families, and provide emergency help to orphanages,” said David C. Aguillard, CCDBR Executive Director.  “As the immediate crisis recedes, adopting orphaned children may become an option.  Just like following Hurricane Katrina, people see images of children in need on the news and want to help. But appropriate international adoptions take time and professional expertise to safeguard the children.”

 

People who do wish to pursue adoption can contact CCDBR to learn how to best explore the process. 

 

At this point in a disaster, it is extremely difficult to determine whether children who appear to be orphaned are truly eligible for adoption. Just like after Hurricane Katrina, children become temporarily separated from their parents, and their parents may be looking for them. Others may choose to send their children out of the affected zone to protect them from harm. Additional risks are likely when the government is in shambles, making fulfilling the legal requirements for adoption more difficult if not impossible. Further, when the country is in chaos, the risk of trafficking children increases.

 

People who choose to adopt despite these warnings may potentially experience an interrupted adoption, be unprepared for rearing a traumatized child, or discover later they have adopted a child that is not really an orphan.

 

Individuals wanting to help out can made a financial contribution to a relief agency like Catholic Relief Services (www.crs.org) who already has a team of responders on the ground in Haiti. 

 

CCDBR was granted Hague Accreditation this past year, one of two agencies in the state of Louisiana. The Hague Convention is an international treaty created to ensure that international adoptions are in the best interests of children and to prevent abduction, exploitation, sale, or trafficking of children. As a signor to the treaty, the United States requires this certification for adoption service providers working with agencies in other Hague countries. 

However, Haiti is not a signer to the treaty, increasing the potential for exploitation of the children. Aguillard says, “When people chose CCDBR as their adoption provider, they can be assured that we will adhere to the legalities prescribed by Hague.”

 

People wanting to find out more about adoptions can call 225-336-8708, click here to send an email or for more info, visit http://adoptccdiobr.org/, or register for “Adoption Matters,” CCDBR’s free adoption education class set for February 22, 2010.