January 11, 2005
“Tsunami Orphans” Became Targets of Human Trafficking
In Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, a worker of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) recently received a strange SMS advertisement which said, “You can buy children according to your liking”, reports Donga.com.
"The web edition of Newsweek (January 8) reported that the SMS message said, “300 three-to-10-year-old orphans from Atjeh, Indonesia are waiting to be adopted. All related paper processes are free. Just choose the age and the gender of the child.”
Other foreign press outlets, including Reuters, also reported the SMS advertisements of human trafficking of children by saying that the children who have lost their families and homes because of the tsunami face a “second danger.”
The number of children who received direct and indirect damage from the tsunami is estimated at about 1.5 million. A total of 35,000 children became orphans in Atjeh, Indonesia alone.
The foreign press has reported that traffickers in humans, who were persistently active in the region, are using the tsunami disaster as an opportunity to make great profits."
Related articles:
-- SMS chain calling to adopt-an-Aceh-child
-- Baby Smuggling: Police investigate claims
-- «Tsunami Orphans» for sale or adoption by SMS (2)
-- «Tsunami Orphans» for sale or adoption by SMS
-- Links to all Tsunami/cell phone stories posted in Textually.org.
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