Blog Post 2 option 1

There were a few major general concerns from the Haiti reading by Maureen Kelley (2010). First, she stresses that many people take advantage of adoption when a natural disaster occurs like the earthquake in Haiti (374). I understand that people adopt because they see this as a positive intention to help save the children. However, there are some cases where the parents of these children are searching for them and still wanting them. During this time I do not think that the parents are capable to go through with deciding to give up their children because they are in the moment of a traumatic experience and therefore, they are thinking only in that time of stress to give up their child when really they do want to keep their child. Kelley gives an example where a mother was approached after the earthquake, “She acted in desperation and with the thought that her child was being taken somewhere safe, in temporary custody of the foreign volunteers (374).” I do not think that it is a good idea to adopt in the middle of a crisis. It would be better if the Haitian people were provided with resources and other needs during this time. If there are children who have lost their parents due to the earthquake then I would think that that child can be placed for adoption.

The other concern Kelley addresses is child trafficking or child slavery (376-377). “UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children are trafficked each year and average of two thousand Haitian children a year are trafficked to the Dominican Republic, and sold into slavery and prostitution (376).” This is a very disturbing idea to think that someone wants to adopt a child to provide a family and a home for them. When in reality the child is a mere-means for people who take them and force them in the business of child trafficking. Kelley suggests foster parents to create temporary homes for displaced and traumatized children (379). I have concerns about this because the foster parents may become attached to the child and it would be difficult to have the child separate the foster parents in the end. Or how would the foster parents be capable of taking in a child who has been traumatized? I would imagine that the parents need pre-training to care for these children. 

-Ka L.