33 Children Forcibly Abandoned by Morocco
33 Children Forcibly Abandoned by Morocco
The 20 expatriates that ran the orphanage have been told they must leave the country within three days. The reason given by officials is that the staff has been proselytizing the children to Christianity.
Village of Hope orphanage has been operating for 10 years, taking in children abandoned by their parents and society. Thirty three children lived there, some since its founding in 2000. Without Village of Hope (VoH), the future for these children is grim: life on the streets or one of the government “mega” orphanages.
The closure came without warning. “We have always been open about our faith to the authorities,” said Chris Broadbent, Human Resources Manager for VoH. “Watching the children be told by their [foster] parents that they had to leave, that they would maybe never see them again, is the most painful thing I have ever witnessed This is a shame and a disgrace to the leaders of Morocco.”
This is the latest in recent similar actions by the Moroccan government. On February 4th, authorities raided a Christian meeting in Asmis, arresting 18 and deporting the lone foreigner. Since then five other foreign Christian workers have been expelled.
ICC’s Regional Manager, Logan Maurer, stated, “This is indeed a shameful act by the Moroccan government, and especially poignant. Lately Morocco has taken an aggressive stance against Christians, forcibly deporting foreigners and bringing charges against the Moroccan nationals they associated with. This marks a swift and ominous change in Moroccan policy toward human rights; the world must pay attention.”
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