Abduction Charges Against U.S. Missionaries in Haiti Spark Controversy
Feb 8th, 2010 • Posted in: NewsGroup apparently tried to round up children they presumed to be orphans, but had no training or paperwork; now they have a big legal problem
PORT-AU-PRINCE
The detention on child abduction charges of a group of Idaho missionaries attempting to remove children from earthquake-devastated Haiti has prompted ethical debate over the culpability of people who do something, apparently for the right reason, in the wrong way.
At least one member of the Idaho religious group was warned not to move the children across the Dominican border without proper paperwork, but then tried anyway, according to testimony cited by the BBC.
Members of the group were arrested and now face a lengthy detention in Haiti, reports ABC News, and the incident has become what the Haitian prime minister has termed a “distraction” that may undermine the recovery effort.
Complicating the matter is a claim that the leader of the “Idaho 10,” volunteers from two Southern Baptist Churches, knew of the legal restrictions but did not tell the nine others in the group.
The group’s leader, Laura Sisby, and the others were arrested on January 29 for trying to cross the border with a busload of Haitian children allegedly orphaned by the quake, according to Sisby, reports MSNBC.
Supporters of the missionaries have expressed outrage that their motives have been questioned.
USA Today “Faith and Reason” columnist Cathy Lynn Grossman examined the question of whether the motives and religious beliefs of the 10, who set out on a precarious mission with no training or legal preparation, should matter when it comes to judgment in a court of law or in the court of public opinion.
“Blunder or bluff,” Grossman writes, “their actions and the subsequent kidnapping charges, have become an international incident some say might prompt people to hold back donating to Haiti in protest.”
“Reporters have spoken with many of their parents, some hungry and homeless, who turned their children over for vague promises of a better life. A trial may reveal whether the parents had informed consent to allow their children to go with the Idaho 10, if they clearly understood what the mission group planned or knew whether the group could deliver on its promises,” Grossman notes.
Sources: USA Today, Feb. 5 — MSNBC, Feb. 5 — BBC, Feb. 5 — ABC News, Feb. 5.
For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Feb. 1 — Related Newsline story, Jan. 25 — Related Newsline story, Jan. 19 — Related Newsline story, Jan. 19 — Related Newsline story, Jan. 19.
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Stories abound throughout history of well intentioned people charging ahead unprepared due to ignorance, poor judgement, or worst of all, arrogance. They often do more harm than good or become additional victims or fatalities of a futile effort. A good leader know planning and communication are essential. Paperwork may sound like bureaucratic hinderance, but people involved in research or forensics know the value of good records. Ten years from now when there is a need to track down a parent or child, these children could have been lost with no record of where they went or who took them or from where they originated. Foolish expediency usually has a high price, now or later.