Haiti earthquake

US missionaries charged with child abduction

Article published on the 2010-02-05 Latest update 2010-02-05 10:15 TU

Missionaries in a holding cell at the judicial police station in Port-au-Prince on 1 February
(Photo: Reuters)

Ten US missionaries from the Baptist charity New Life Children’s Refuge were charged with child abduction and conspiracy on Thursday after allegedly trying to smuggle children out of earthquake-hit Haiti.

The Americans were formally charged with “kidnapping minors and criminal association”, according to their lawyer, Edwin Coq.

The five men and five women have already spent a week in prison, and although they arrived at the court hearing with their bags packed, they could now be held for up to three months in a Haitian jail under pre-trial detention.

The missionaries have denied any ill-intent, but could face a sentence of up to nine years.

While it is unlikely that Haitian authorities will allow the group to be sent back to the US for trial.

Justice Minister Paul Denis told the AFP news agency that there was “no reason” why they would be transferred, because, “it is Haitian law that has been violated”.

Ahead of the missionaries’ detention on 29 January, RFI reported that Non-Governmental Organisations were concerned about fast-track adoptions and children being moved illegally.

Susan Bissell, Child Protection Chief at Unicef, told RFI on 22 January that it was “an alarming situation”, especially because of missing documentation, a lack of assessment and the disruption of the authorisation process.

The missionaries from the Idaho-based charity were stopped with a busload of children as they attempted to cross into the Dominican Republic. Many of the children, aged between two months and 12 years old, still had parents or relatives.

The children have now been returned to their families.