Trapped

We all watched news reports of the earthquake in Haiti. Some news was good with miracle recues of people trapped for weeks - but found alive. Other stories are so sad of dead bodies burned in the street because there's nowhere to store them or bury them. The worst and saddest stories are of the children. Separated from family, friends and everything they know. Some were already orphaned, now orphaned and alone. Now comes news of "Predators Stalk Haiti's Vulnerable Kids". They stalk children like prey yelling - "Manje, manje," Creole for "eat." Children that are hungry, thirsty, homeless and alone hear some stranger say there's a place to get food. What child would not run to that opportunity? Who or what are they running to?

The Haitians are trapped in ruined streets. They are trapped on half an island with nowhere to escape. They can't get in a car or bus and drive to the next country. The Dominican Republic has limits on how many Haitians they can accept - they're on the other half of the island. The children are trapped, and now they are prey. There are people taking advantage of innocents, vulnerable, and deprive children for their own greed perverted gain. The news stories tell of men driving pick-up trucks in the poorest areas of the city - picking up children - mostly young teens. Red flags go up all with that bit of information. Who are these people? Where are the children taken? How is it that THEY have gas, food and water?

According to a Time.com article, a crowd in Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Petit Place Cazeu living in tents surrounded a pickup truck and beat up the driver. The quake victims were quoted as saying the man kidnapped girls for several days. There is a practice in Haiti during better times known as Restavek. The practice amounts to poor families "giving" their children to more affluent families in exchange for room and board. What really happened was the children were usually subject to physical, emotional and sexual abuse. It's been estimated that more than 300,000 children were subjected to this practice before the quake. Now after the quake thousands of children are added to the homeless, possible orphaned ranks. Creates a great playground for predators. Children have nowhere to run and hide. No way to get off this rock in the middle of the Caribbean called Haiti - trapped.

Resources:
Restavec: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle Class American
Human Predators Stalk Haiti's Vulnerable Kids
Of Haitian Bondage