Please don't knock on my door

UNICEF.

Anyone know what that stands for?

Oh, right, the United Nations Children's Fund. . . vocally committed to the "best interests of the child" - vocally.

O.K., great. (Rant warning)

BUT, what about ACTUALLY - as in, ACTUALLY committed to the best interests of the child?

Well, I guess this would beg the question, then: what are the "best interests of the child?"

Let's take Haiti, for example: Hundreds of thousands of orphaned, or possibly orphaned children are now living on the streets with basically no food, water, diapers, shelter, or care. Sex traffickers have already been making their way into Haiti and have been witnessed trying to purchase children. So many of these children were barely making it before the earthquakes and now have little chance of survival. What is in their best interest?

Well, I have been mostly hearing two options (I know, there are more, but for the sake of argument):

1. Release the children on humanitarian visas to come to the U.S. (or other countries) to live with families who will love and care for them until their status can be determined and/or at least some sense of order can be restored in Haiti. Then, depending on XYZ, allow them to be adopted or returned to their families in Haiti.

or

2. STOP all efforts to move the children out of Haiti. Let them sit in the streets, dying, while some groups try to set up "children's camps." Move them into the "camps" while trying to find a family member (who, if found, probably also have NO resources) to take them. If the sex traffickers move in, well then. . . not like they follow the law anyways, right?

Well, according to UNICEF, apparently option #2 is in the "best interest of the children."

Nice. I mean after all, isn't option #2 what we all dreamed of as children? You know, to have that "Lord of the Flies" experience of living with tons of other scared, starving children in a camp with limited resources? Yes, oh yes, that is much better than in a loving family with plenty of resources.

Are there potential problems with option #1? Yes! but the problems do not involve the children DYING from lack of basic food, water, and sanitation! And, if the Hurricane Katrina disasters taught us anything, it was that it takes YEARS to rebuild and restore after a major disaster (and this was in the U.S. - imagine what it will be like in Haiti!). These children don't have years to wait.

You can read more about this HERE

Please don't knock on my door next Halloween to Trick or Treat for UNICEF. What they do for children seems more like a vocal "trick" than an ACTUAL "treat."