The Age Old Problem of Human Trafficking

On Friday February 8, I had written a very large blog about this issue as well as some of the history about the African country of Chad.  Something happened and I lost the whole thing.  Needless to say I shed a few tears for the 5 hours of work.  This is my attempt at reconstruction and I am also adding developments in the lead story that have come up after I lost the original story.  So many things happening today have their basis in history.  Maybe a higher power was telling me the story wasn't complete?  :~D

People in Abeche, Chad-Photo from seratonin/virtualtourist

Modern day, human trafficking....

I stumbled upon the the 2 Feb 2013 story about the French court's denial of Chad's request for kidnap compensation.  Delving in to the story I was filled with anger at the French abuse of Chad.  A French NGO (non-govermental organization) had abused it's powers.  They basically kidnapped 103 children, hiding under a story that made people believe that they were doing a kindness, when they tried to take them out of Chad and sell them to adoptive parents in France and Belgium.  The NGO, Arche de Zoe (Zoe's Ark), told people that these children were orphan's from the the Darfur conflict going on south of Chad in the African country of Sudan.  They were in fact Chadian children with at least one living parent.  All the children were under 10yrs old with a majority of them between 3 and 5 years of age.  In October 2007, when attempting to board a plane to Paris, 9 members of the NGO as well as 3 French journalists were arrested in the western Chad city of Abeche.  The children were put in an orphanage and attempts to locate their families began, especially difficult with their ages and lack of documentation. 

In December of 2007, 6 Zoe's Ark members were found guilty of kidnapping, sentenced to 8 years of hard labor in a Chadian prison and ordered to pay $87,000USD to each of the 103 children involved in the scheme.  These 6 included CEO Eric Breteau and Philip van Winkelberg, physician attached to the project.  Following pleas by French president Nicolas Sarkozy, in January 2008,  the 6 were sentenced in French court to 8 years, in the process of getting the group back to France.  By April 2008 we find the 6, now in France, pardoned by Idriss Deby, president of Chad.  The same Idress Deby who was the right hand man of dethroned Chadian president, Hissene Habre, overthrown and now indicted dictator responsible for the deaths of 40,000 Chadians through torture and genocide.   These same 6 Zoe's Ark members were freed in France and paid nothing for their crimes.  Shortly after their pardon, Breteau was found being quoted in Frankfurt Germany "that the French government of Nicolas Sarkozy, knew of the plans and gave their blessings."  What is the tie between France and Chad?  Chad was a conquered colony of France until it became and independent country in 1960, the start of a bloody history.

Meanwhile, in March 2008, the Chadian children were returned from the orphanage in Abeche.  97 of the 103 children were Chadian and were not orphans.  The 6 remaining children were from Darfur and the orphanage at Abeche was going to take care of them and hope to find their families.  

Fast forward to December of 2012, you will find in Paris, these six indicted once again but with a difference, Eric Breteau and his girlfriend, Emilie Lalouche declined to return to France from South Africa where they were living.  During this trial period, a civil lawsuit was filed by 20 of the potential adopting families attempting to recoup some of the money they lost when they paid Zoe's Ark between £2,000($3100USD) and £4,200($6500USD) for each child.  On Tuesday the 12th of February, Breteau and Lalouche entered the Paris courtroom from their holdout in South Africa, to hear the verdict on the case they couldn't be bothered to participate in.  They were promptly arrested.  The other four were given suspended sentences and the corporation was fined €100,000 ($133,500USD) after which it was dissolved.

So let me get this straight....

• Zoe's Ark members tried smuggling kids from Chad to adoptive parents in France who had paid them $3,100-6,500 each.  Total:  Est $494,000USD
• Zoe's Ark members sentenced to 8 years by Chad and ordered to pay the victims $87,000USD each.  Total: $8,961,000USD.
• Zoe's Ark convicts were sent to France on Sarkozy's orders, they dodged hard labor and within months of their conviction, were pardoned by the president of Chad, not having to pay the nearly $9million to the victims of their scheme.  
• The government of Chad sued to recoup the the $8.9million that was supposed to go to the victims of this crime.  They were denied by French courts.
• Twenty of the prospective adoptive parents sued to recoup their losses, they were unsuccessful, again the French courts kept these criminals from paying.
• 4 of the 6 Zoe's Ark members again stood trial in 2012, with the verdict being made in February 2013.  In that verdict the 4 received suspended sentences and Zoe's Ark was fined a measly $100,000USD.  The two "vacationing" members, Breteau and Lalouche have now been arrested.  I suspect they will once again dodge any financial responsibility for the assault on the children of Chad. 

It seems to me that the government in France cares little about their former colony of Chad.  They think it is alright for French citizens to abuse the citizens of Chad with impunity.  French president Sarkozy, in a speech given in 2007, clearly indicates his patronizing and racist attitude towards Chad.  I think this entire situation is shameful and France should reimburse the families of the kidnapped Chadian children for their nightmare.  
For more insight in to the situation in Chad, read Steve Davis' blog, Africa in Turmoil.