Organ Trafficking Turns To Children For Harvest

Not all organ trafficking involves a conspiracy of international actors attempting to kidnap or buy off vulnerable people. Sometimes, it involves a much smaller circle of people, and the removal can occur without the knowledge or consent of either the unwilling donors or their families. By their very nature, these cases are harder to spot, but one of the most shocking examples that was uncovered is that of Ruben Navarro.

In January 2006, 25-year-old Ruben was admitted to the Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in California. Having been diagnosed with the neurological disorder adrenoleukodystrophy, Ruben’s mental and physical abilities slowly deteriorated until January 29, when he was found unconscious. His mother, who was living on disability benefits, was told that her son was not likely to recover. Later that night, she received a call requesting that he be registered as an organ donor. She agreed.

A few days later, the decision was made to switch his life support off. The doctor treating Ruben, Dr. Hootan C. Roozrokh, was accused of instructing a nurse to administer “candy” when Ruben continued to survive without a ventilator. With the transplant team in the room (which is a violation of protocol), morphine, antianxiety medication, and antiseptic were put into the patient’s system in an attempt to speed up his death. However, Ruben didn’t die until eight hours later, and his organs ultimately could not be harvested.

Despite a significant amount of suspicious activity, Dr. Roozrokh was cleared of all charges.[8] His was the first such case to go to trial in the US, though there is no shortage of accusations that deceased patients have had their organs removed without consent. In many cases, however, the body will be cremated, and the truth becomes impossible to determine.



Child Trafficking

Unfortunately, organ transplantation isn’t simply a matter of finding someone willing to part with the necessary organ; it also entails finding one that is a match. Sadly, this doesn’t just mean finding a donor who has the right blood type but often also means finding one who is roughly the same age and size as the recipient. That is how innocent children have become victims of the black market organ trade.

Child organ trafficking takes place all over the world, but the situation in Mozambique is possibly the most infamous. In the northern town of Nampula, nuns from the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, who had been operating an orphanage in the area for over 30 years, claim to have seen the devastating effects of this operation firsthand. As well as speaking to escaped victims and seeing photographic evidence, the nuns also say they have witnessed repeated abduction attempts at the orphanage and have even cared for orphans who have had organs removed (some of whom later died).[7] The nuns also received death threats from the traffickers, while locals have claimed that the police are complicit in the activity and attempting to cover it up.

Article by ListVerse