Opinion editorial on risks associated with using intercountry adoption as an emergency response to the needs of children in Haiti.

Online update on concerns around promoting adoption in an emergency context.

"The desire of the Haitian people, to the extent that this can be done, is for the children to be cared for in Haiti…That is their preference"

Member agencies of the Disasters Emergency Committee are calling for international focus to remain on reuniting children who have lost their families during the earthquake in Haiti rather than adopting them out of the country.

In this Information Note, the Hague Convention urges that the focus in emergencies should first be on child protection, rather than adoption. In the spirit of this Recommendation, it is clear that in a disaster situation, like that brought about by the earthquake, efforts to reunite a displaced child with his or her parents or family members must take priority. Premature and unregulated attempts to organise the adoption of such a child abroad should be avoided.

Address key messages and considerations for preventing separation; ensuring identification, tracing and family reunification is prioritized; and facilitating interim care, alternative care and adoption where necessary.

Ce rapport examine les pratiques de l'adoption internationale suite au tremblement de terre en Haïti. Haïti a été un pays d'origine «populaire», en ce sens que des milliers d'enfants se trouvaient à un certain stade du processus d'adoption- parfois simplement "identifiés" comme potentiellement adoptables - au moment du séisme. Les réponses des «pays d'accueil » et autres relatives à l'adoption ultérieure des enfants déplacés à l'étranger furent diverses et contrastées. 

Using lessons learnt in emergencies, from the genocide in Rwanda to the Asian Tsunami and the earthquake in Haiti, our new report, Misguided Kindness, demonstrates what action is needed to keep families together during crises and to bring separated children back into a safe and nurturing family life.

Examines a community-based care program for children living with HIV in Haiti called Arc-en-Ciel. Includes an overview of services provided (residential care, home based care, and community mobilization) and lessons learned.

An executive summary of lessons learned on preventing family separation in poverty stricken communities. Brief case studies from Guatemala, Haiti, Philippines, United States and Burkina Faso.