UPDATE: Baptists accused of child trafficking in Haiti

The AP has found several people who say their kids went with a U.S. Baptist group that tried to take them into the Dominican Republic without official paperwork. The bad news is that it contradicts the group's story that many of the kids were orphans or only had distant relatives. But many of those parents told the AP that they gladly sent their kids with the Americans.

A Haitian judge has been questioning the group. A Haitian prosecutor still hasn't decided whether to file charges.

(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, file)

Comments

[graybeard]

It appears, however, that Silsby and her fellow suspects were exploiting this “chaos” in a bid to scoop traumatized children off the streets of Port-au-Prince and jump start plans for an orphanage-adoption enterprise that had been floated just two months before the magnitude seven earthquake devastated Haiti.

Silsby, who is the CEO of a Boise, Idaho-based online shopping Web site, PersonalShopper.com, filed papers last November with the state of Idaho to establish the New Life Children’s Refuge as a nonprofit corporation.

This ambitious project, which secured the backing of a Southern Baptist church in Idaho, called for setting up an orphanage/school in the Dominican Republic beach resort of Playa Magante, which would house up to 200 children and include “seaside villas” to accommodate “adopting parents” from the US during the 60- to 90-day waiting period required under Dominican law

With the earthquake, the group announced the launching of “Haitian Orphan Rescue Mission,” and their intentions to fly to the Dominican Republic, drive a bus across the border to Port-au-Prince “gather 100 orphans from the streets and collapsed orphanages” and drive them back across the border. Without even having secured a site in the Dominican Republic, much less having built an orphanage, the group claimed it had rented a 45-room hotel, where it could house up to 150 children.

While Silsby claimed that the group understood that all of the children were either orphans or had been abandoned by their parents, CBS News found that the Americans had gone into a Port-au-Prince neighborhood distributing leaflets promising a “better life” for children and a school where they would have a swimming pool and tennis courts. Some Haitian parents said they had given their children because of the desperate conditions they confronted after the earthquake. Some of the children said that they had believed they were being taken on a holiday trip

[locomotivebreath1901]

Compared to baby eating werewolves, these misguided Baptists look down right angelic.

[Stifled Freedom]

They still needed documentation. And what was thier plan for being the kids back? Ever?

[davey smith]

I would rather be in the company of werewolves than f-ing kidnappers who hide behind the name of god. I hope they all go to jail for a very, very long time.

[Jellybean]

That loup-garou stuff was pretty cool, Locomotivebreath.
I have a close relative with some religious beliefs I thought were wacky. She's always warning me about demons, cleansing my home of evil spirits - I even catch her whispering little exorcism prayers towards me from time to time. I can't wait to tell her about the potential of loup-garou hiding in our local pet store.

[anna]

here is an example of people taking care of children rather than hurting them...i think we all need to hear more good news about haiti...

http://www.tonic.com/article/angel-house-orphanage-miracle-adoption-in-haiti/

[Oldtimer]

Ditto, Davey!

[Stifled Freedom]

Anna, you dont know what thier intentions were AFTER getting them to the Dominican Republic.

[Tanked]

stupid americans. sentence them to live in haiti. make them help rebuild it so haitian kids can have better lives in haiti.

[rhonda]

New subject...the missionaries in Haiti have been charged with child kidnapping.

It's funny, I think they were extremely wrong in what they did, but if their parents turned over the kids to them, then it seems like it would be some other kind of charge.

[Joey]

OK, Obviously none of you negative commenters have NEVER BEEN TO HAITI! If you had children in the poorest country in the world, in the midst of this disaster, without the chance for an education, you would probably want to give your kids a better chance too! After spending one day in Haiti before the disaster you would be convinced that its no place to raise children if there are better alternatives elsewhere. So smack the people on the wrist for failing to bring about their goals with the proper organization, policies, and paperwork, but don't charge them with kidnapping!

[GB, RN]

Sounds like a "religious" organization exploiting an disaster for their own personal gain.

Shocking.

[davey smith]

So Joey just because YOU and bunch of Baptists think they can provide better lives for these children it is ok to steal them? There has not been one piece of documented information that any parent gave their child to these kidnappers.

I hope they go down for the longest of possible sentences. There is no room in the world for child exploitation and that is (at best) what these idiots were doing....exploiting these children for their religion and in the name of their god.

I live in the Caribbean and often visit third world countries. To listen to some fool like you saying that it would be ok to take children from their parents, based on the fact that their parents are poor is sickening. Do not poor parents love their children as much as rich parents?

[Joe Ebslap]

How much can you get running an adoption business? $10K per kid or is it more?

[Oldtimer]

Joey,

To most of us, you are the negative commenter. An apologist for these criminals.

[chalveyob]

I am always amazed at how the anti-religion zealots are so quick to attack without any facts. I know they must be guilty because they believe in God, and we all know religious organizations have never helped anyone in need. Are you people that insecure in your ideas that the only way you can convice yourself you are correct is by attacking anyone who doesn't believe in your minority opinion? That really says a lot about how empty your belief system is. Instead of attacking other people, why don't you get off your lazy butts and try helping someone other than yourself for once, you might be much happier people.

[Oldtimer]

chalveyob,

When I choose to help someone, I always keep it at home, I don't condescend to inflict my religious views and never presuppose that I understand what the other person is facing. You know less than nothing about people who help others just because it is their privilege, not their duty based on some religious dogma to save their souls. I invest of myself and my resources into many civic issues without needing to use it as investment into my time in the "hereafter". Your statement indicates that it is commonly understood that no one does any good for society who doesn't think like you though, right. You really should keep your stupid comments to yourself, but as a religous zealot, it would be impossible for you to mind your own business.

[chalveyob]

Oldtimer: Thank you for proving my point, your first thought is to accuse others of being a zealot. You seem to protest too much, take a look in the mirror and consider why you make so many incorrect assumptions.

[Oldtimer]

chalveyob

"I am always amazed at how the anti-religion zealots are so quick to attack without any facts."

Your first comment of the day. I rest my case.

[Bozo Profundo]

There are a variety of Christian churches and organizations working with orphans and setting up orphanages in Haiti (and elsewhere around the world). I find it amazing that the same bigots on her complaining about Christians caring for children are the same weasels who denounce them for not caring for children when they oppose abortion.

Personally, I think the solution is simply to abandon Haiti. If they're going to hassle the folks there who are doing something to hell with them. The money and the efforts can be used to help children in Thailand and India. Let Haiti rot (as if you could tell).

[Marco]

I would have been inclined to forgive these people if they had proven to really be misguided do-gooders. Their attitude before and after being caught instead makes them look like fools at best and profiteers at worse.
I have not heard a word of apology from any of them and based on a bit of research I have done and news sources I read, there is a strong possibility that their intentions were much less than pure.
They were asked repeatedly not to go forth with their plan and to instead put any resources they had to work in Haiti.
They categorically refused and went ahead with their ill fated plan.
They certainly do not deserve anyone's sympathy and they deserve to spend some time in jail to consider their actions.

[Ian]

Its sad that the kids of these missionaries have to pay as well. Who said they were "in" on the plan. There parents said this is what is right come and help us it will be a vacation and then they have to deal with it. Now they are going to be locked up because they thought the word of god was to help these kids.

[Drasil]

You really should keep your stupid comments to yourself, but as a religous zealot, it would be impossible for you to mind your own business.

Posted by: Oldtimer | Thursday, February 04, 2010 at 04:54 PM

I was thinking the same thing of you. Except you could change the religious zealot to anti-religious zealot.

[Sylfhaal]

What else is new, Christians and Christianity in general has a bad habit of meddling in other cultures, whether it's wanted or not. Sometimes causing irreparable harm to the culture they're meddling in. This is no different. "it's a humanitarian effort" does not mean that the rules don't apply to you just because you're christian. I sincerely hope they all get the full measure of justice for sticking their collective noses in where they didn't belong, and I further hope this teaches ALL of you so called "Missionaries" that just because you believe you're doing gods work doesn't mean that the country's laws and beliefs don't apply to you.

[Drasil]

What they were doing would have violated the laws of their own country. Can you imagine a group of people taking children, with or without the parents consent across state lines in the US with the intention of keeping them? Both the parents and the people taking the children would be in a whole lot of trouble.

This has less to do with religion than it does with stupidity. Haiti is a predominately Catholic nation, so to turn them into Christians wouldn't be the goal. I wonder why they were really doing this or if they even had a plan/goal besides "let's go snatch some kids so we can feel better about ourselves."

[Bozo Profundo]

Man, the anti-Christian bigots on here are just thick. Talk about intolerance and hate-mongering.

So here's the thought, pull all of the efforts being done by Christian churches out of Haiti. Let it go. In fact, pull all of the American efforts out of Haiti. We've got enough to do to support the world's welfare cases right here in America just by paying our taxes.

[Jebbers]

I think the part that doesn't sit well with me is that there are so many "no comments" from them, their family, church members and friends. Normally when someone has been dealt an injustice due to a mis-understanding they speak out along with those that know them well to make everyone see they really are good people and only had the best of intentions. From the stories I've seen there just doesn't seem to be much support. With all the media attention, if the whole detailed explanation came out & there really didn't seem to be any sinister motive I'm sure more would rally behind releasing them.
I do wonder with how expensive adoptions are if there was a money motive behind this.