Following the scandal of Haitian children ‘disappeared’ in Chile, the IBESR met with the Chilean ambassador in Haiti to go over this case.
It’s a series of meetings that aims to clear up the last doubts in the case of the ‘missing Haitian minors’ in Chile. These kids, who arrived in this South American country under a family reunification program, outside the official procedures for international child relocation, were the subject of an investigation by the Chilean Court of Auditors as part of a probe into possible child trafficking. On June 19, IBESR had noted in a statement that it had learned ‘of the arrival in Chile of certain Haitian children without the required procedures being fully observed’
.To review this matter, two meetings were held on June 25 and 26 between the institution, led by Arielle Jeanty Villedrouin, and a Chilean delegation headed by the Chilean ambassador to Haiti, Manuel Rioseco, who was joined at the second meeting by Marco Aguayo Tamsec, Chile’s special envoy. According to an information note published by IBESR on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, the discussions focused on ‘the situation of Haitian children involved in international mobility and family reunification processes.’These exchanges allowed the Haitian authorities to note, based on the guarantees provided by the Chilean authorities, that ‘the children whose situation had raised concerns have been located and are currently safe with their families.’ At the same time, the institution sent the Chilean authorities ‘the list of children who had received official permission to leave,’ the information note specifies.More scare than harm, then. The children described as ‘untraceable’ by the Chilean Court of Auditors had slipped through the authorities’ monitoring due to irregularities found in the procedures surrounding their departure to Chile, which most often took place on charter flights. These minors are generally accompanied by adults presenting themselves as ‘their guardians,’ without necessarily having any family relation. As of June 22, Chilean authorities had already announced that 52 of the 64 minors involved in this case had been located. These children have indeed reunited with their families and are now integrated into Chile’s school and healthcare systems.
In the note released publicly on June 19, IBESR reminded everyone of the importance of following child protection procedures during international travel. “The Institute wants to emphasize that, regardless of existing agreements between the states involved, complying with national child protection procedures remains an obligation for all parties involved,” the document says, also noting that “the departure authorization issued by IBESR is an essential guarantee that ensures the traceability of children’s movements, checks that the necessary steps have been properly followed, and safeguards the best interests of each child.”The IBESR says it wants to continue ‘this joint work with the Chilean embassy as well as with the relevant national and international institutions, in order to strengthen coordination and make sure that every Haitian child in an international mobility situation gets the necessary protection and support’
