Haitian orphans face uncertain future

Tens of thousands of children have been orphaned by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, aid groups say.

With buildings destroyed and growing chaos in the capital, they say many children are living alone on the streets.

International agencies have warned against fast-tracking adoptions of orphaned Haitian children, saying the practice could encourage trafficking.

Even before the deadly earthquake, Haiti was awash with orphans, with 380,000 children living in orphanages or group homes, the United Nation's Children's Fund (Unicef) reported on its website.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, on the efforts being made to trace and re-unite children with their relatives. [January 23, 2010]

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