Sean Patrick Maloney: “Mr. Chairman, after the tragic war in Bosnia, there are many children who have lost their parents, been deserted, and…”

“Mr. Chairman, after the tragic war in Bosnia, there are many children who have lost their parents, been deserted, and have been left to fend for themselves. These are children who need and deserve a stable, safe environment where they can grow up and enjoy the support of a loving family. I strongly believe that we should support and work to help these children. We must direct USAID to work with the Bosnian government to address the special needs of children at risk, especially orphans. These funds would be designed to support the Bosnian government to set up systems, mechanisms and/or institutions to, first, identify urgently homeless children and provide for their immediate care and protection; two, pursue reunification with other family members if possible; three, establish foster care and/or adoption arrangements; and, four, where appropriate, establish procedures that permit legitimate international adoption. Like the Pearl S. Buck Initiative after the Korean War, we must work to establish an institutional structure to help our governments work in a cooperative manner for the good and well-being of the children.”