Evening Buzz: Protecting Haiti's Children
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/2010/01/world/gallery.haiti.relief/images/hrzgal.bottle.gi.jpg caption="A girl at a makeshift camp Monday in Port-au-Prince." width=300 height=169]
Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
Tonight on 360°, Anderson reports on the children of Haiti orphaned by the earthquake.
He spoke with a doctor at a hospital camp outside Port-au-Prince, who is worried about the security of the orphans.
"We've spent all day and the last four days going down to the U.N., going up the chain of command, we've talked to the U.S. Army, we've spoken to the U.S. Air Force... everything's been documented about our attempts to get somebody on base to take care of this camp for all of us," Dr. Laura Asher told Anderson.
Dr. Asher said there was a suspicious man on the hospital grounds who was removed several days ago. She's convinced he was trying to steal a child.
The fear is the children could be trafficked, stolen for illegal adoptions, sexually exploited or sold as domestic servants.
Tonight, we'll also give you an up close look at the destruction of the presidential palace in the capital city.
360's Gary Tuchman and his crew saw the damage first-hand.
"Imagine if the White House were destroyed. The horrors of that are exactly what the Haitian people are now going through. The physical and symbolic devastation are very raw," Gary reports.
Gary will show you where the president of Haiti is forced to work out of now.
Here at home, President Obama gives his State of the Union address Wednesday night. There's been a lot of talk about whether his economic stimulus plan is working. All this week, we're checking the facts. Find out what's working and what's not. Your tax dollars have funded nearly 57,000 projects, so far. See if those projects are truly creating jobs and boosting the economy.
Join us for these stories and much more at 10 p.m. ET.
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Filed under: Maureen Miller • The Buzz |
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Anderson, from your report last night it seemed like Unicef is leading the charge in rounding up these orphans. Is there any thought to building a temporary "tent city" for these Children where temporary schools can be set up and guards can be set in place to protect them 24/7? It seemed like Unicef was more concerned with confirming reports that kids were being taken rather then setting up a space to keep them safe. It seems like a win/win keep the kids safe while you employ adults to watch and teach the children. It would also give parents one place to go to search for missing children to determine if they are truly orphans.
Keep giving us updates on the little five year old who was found after 8 days. We are praying for him and hope CNN or a charitable organization can help find his Grandmother in the states.
Last week I was in Santo Domingo and found out that the hospital there had received a number of Haitian patients as a result of the earthquake. Friends of ours visited the hospital and were shocked to find that the patients (many children) are not being cared for.
They were left on soiled mattresses with no sheets. Their dressings had not been changed, some were asking for food or water, but many (understandably so) were in shock. There was one Haitian doctor there trying to take care of a great number of patients by himself using his own resources.
I don’t think this is the fault of the SD hospital. They are overwhelmed with lack of resources for their own SD patients. I think what needs to happen is awareness so that some of the aid can be shared there in order to help this hospital cope. Please help bring awareness to this situation if you can. Thank you for all you do!
Hi Anderson I help different orphanages with food clothing and also medical supplies when i find them the first group i thought about were the orphans I am very proud of you for bringing this story to light and helping to protect these children and please continue this work for as long as you can your coverage motivates and educates everyone every day, in closing I would like for you to bring some light to another frustrating problems the diaspora are having with most of the money transfer agency's accuracy and racketeering on the lines where worried family members cannot seem to get money sent to needy family members
again you and the ac360 team are doing a great job may God Bless
Good Evening to all. As I continue to be glued to the TV reports about Haiti, I look at my children and feel so blessed and yet so sad to see how our human race can do such horrible things to innocent children. I'm speechless. Thank you Anderson and Dr Sanjay and all the crew for all you guys are doing to help our brothers and sisters of Haiti. God Blesse You!!!
To Anderson,
I know you're hearing this a lot, but you really have done a stellar job. This has been more than a "story", more than another "news piece". This is life and you've shown us that.
We can't all be there, but short of the smell, it seems we have experienced everything you have, because of your honesty in how you've represented this experience.
Between all of you guys finding your way through the muck and mire and seemingly being free to truly report by scattering, you guys have helped uphold the Haitian people in a way few news teams have.
It sounds weird but thank you all for being drawn to whatever affected you most. Because of that we've gotten honest understanding.
Thank you for your constant follow up and for knowing some of the real people.
Not that it's a competition, but I saw you guys there more than the any other network.
You even seemed to be there more than their own President and administration. I know they lost considerably too, but truly where were they all these days?
Maybe they did it somewhere but: I didn't see them help, I didn't see them nurse or comfort sick people, I didn't see them hold a scared child, I didn't see them in the line of fire rescuing a bloody young man, I didn't see them sitting with orphans in a hot room. I didn't see them care about their elderly or find medical supplies. I didn't see them even give someone a few sips of water.
None of that took a degree or eloquence or a position of power. Just transparency and availability.
Thank you all for gathering courage in shambles.
Thank you Anderson, and the rest of the CNN news team for your thorough, reliable, compassionate, quick to respond coverage.
It's a shame but initially logistically impossible to have had human and technical resources to photograph and take DNA samples of those who died before mass burials. Hopefully DNA sampling and data basing can be done ASAP with all the living orphaned children to hopefully match to biological parents, either alive or dead, even if the children were not living with biological parents at time of earthquake. Also in case of child trafficking for future ID and return to parents. If re-excavation is done in future at mass burial sites for DNA sampling, it could bring closure to living family members, or determine if an entire family died.
After watching your show I think it would be great if UNICEF took care of the Haitian children. Their idea of taking care of them should be outlined and then monitored by a non-partisan organization. Haiti didn't become improverished because of this earthquake. It has been in this hideous condition for 200 years due to greedy mean people. Where was UNICEF then?? The UN has been in Haiti for many years. Why not fix this before the earthquake? These things will fall on dear ears but they are issues that in a world that really cares they would be checked into. Money talks and UNICEF just got a bundle full of money, a big bundle!!
Some one should contact the Holy Father in Rome and ask him to
send Catholic nuns to Haiti to take care of all the orphans! After all
it is a Catholic country.
Anderson Cooper and CNN – thank you so very much for the updates on the children-seeing so many of them just needing love tears my heart out!!! What happened to Johnny? You and your staff should be the next CNN heroes-you continue to be the voice of the Haitian people.
It is wonderful that so many people what to open their homes to children, but there is a very good reason that adoption processes are slow, domestic and international. There are people out there that look great on paper (good jobs, nice home) that seem like they would be good parents and turn out to be horrible people behind closed doors. And imagine if you were a parent in Haiti searching for your child. It is critical that those parents and families have a chance to reconnect.
What about the huge acculturation issue that these kids will be dealing with due to this sudden international adoption craze!
BLESSED ARE THE CHILDREN, HAITIS' CHILDREN ARE STRONG AND AN INSPIRATION TO ALL. BEAS' LEG LOOKED INFECTED. ANDERSON, GET DR. GUPTA TO CHECK OUT YOUR COUGH, SORRY FOR LARGE CASE, CAN'T SEE REAL WELL. KEEP UP THE WONDERFUL WORK. KEEP US INFORMED. THANK YOU!
Strong segment on this issue on AC 360 tonight.
Thanks for keeping it in the spotlight !!!
Tragedy always brings out the best & the worst kinds of people unfortunately.
@Laurie: I have heard that some Haitian higher ups want the children to stay in Haiti, so they can retain their culture. At what cost? Who is caring for them now? So many have no one, and there are many legitiamate families here in the U.S., and other countries, who would gladly take them into their family. I agree, the cost is outrageous and the process very difficult. I have adopted to children in private adoptions. It does not cost $25,000 to adopt a child. No one should profit off putting a child in a good home!
What is so sad is that Amercians would adopt the children, but both the US government and the Haiti government make it too difficult. And the cost is $25,000 to $33,000 to adopt a child.
I am really impressed with the reports that are coming out ofHaiti, many thanks to Anderson ad the crew. how can i adopt one of those todlers who urgently need help.
would really love to know.
marsha fr Jamaica
I believe children are our future, but just like anyone in the world you take care of your family first. Our Amerian family need help too. What are you doing about that. If there country has any ambition like ours, they will adapt and over come, just as we have and all other civilizations that are here today. Disasters happen, that is a natural fact.
When is somebody going to realize that we have some of these same problms n our own country. Imagine if the tme and effort that has been put into this operation were put into our own country. There are just as many orphans in the US. So now a child from another county will get a home, while our american children remain homeless. We need to help our American citizens that are there and then let the country take care of there own problems as we do. I saw on CNN how our country rased $57 million and counting. Imagine what thatcould do for ur hurtig economy.
It would be fairly easy for someone to abduct a child while there is so much disorganization and chaos down there. These children have been through enough without having this danger to contend with. Hopefully, the people helping to care for the children are talking to them about not going off with strangers and crying out for help if a stranger tries to take them off. How effective this warning would be in the chaotic situation down there is questionable but it is better than nothing. Looking forward to Anderson's and Gary's reports tonight.
Hello Mr. A.Copper. Just hope the children land in safe hands. Government
agenies maybe need an
"watch dog".
Sincerely, Kula May
We are all discouraged by the sight of a truck moving away from the people who wanted to eat in Haiti
they could not distribute becuase the Haitians they came to aid were too rowdy.
So if i could I would get on a plane and go down to protect the children.
Why isn't anybody down there lookig out for them
did you ever find out, Anderson, where the president of Haiti went?
Is he enjoying himself in a Parisian restaurant or what?
Children are so precious and trusting. Given the situation in Haiti, they are ripe for the picking and that is so disgusting. I pray for those sweet little muffins. As usual, I am thankful for your updates.