Couples who adopt a child will get W100,000 (US$1=W959) a month until the child turns 18 from next year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday. Under a package to encourage adoption in the country, they will also get W2 million from the government in subsidies of adoption fees for orphanages. Currently, those who adopt a handicapped child are given W525,000 a month until the child turns 18....
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Celeb adoption series causes controversy
Tuesday, July 18 2006, 6:16am EDT
By Daniel Kilkelly, Entertainment Reporter
A new reality TV show which sees celebrities trying to adopt a child has caused controversy.
The BBC One series, which is set to air next year, will follow three household names as adoption chiefs assess their suitability as parents....
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By Daniel Kilkelly, Entertainment Reporter
A new reality TV show which sees celebrities trying to adopt a child has caused controversy.
The BBC One series, which is set to air next year, will follow three household names as adoption chiefs assess their suitability as parents....
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Asian Orphan Diasporas – 55,000 little girls, born in China, growing up in North America
Posted March 27, 2006 by Jean Miyake Downey
Recently I went to a heart-rending talk by Fern Schumer Chapman, author of Motherland: Beyond the Holocaust: A Daughter's Journey to Reclaim the Past, about her relationship with her mother and their journey to reconnect with their family history in Germany. Her mother was a Holocaust orphan, one of thousands of Jewish children sent away by their parents, who were unable to also immigrate themselves because very few countries (count out the United States and Australia – the latter cited not anti-Semitism, but the fear of anti-Semitism developing in Australia as the reason for rejecting Jews) would accept Jews. The children on the "Kindertransport," organized by the British Jewish Refugee Committee, now adults in their 70's and 80's, ended up in any country that would accept them. Many passed the trauma of family and cultural separation down to their own children. Later, attempting to help heal themselves and each other, they formed ongoing support groups that are still documenting collective and individual histories.
Chapman's memoir doesn't only resonate with descendants of European Holocaust orphans, but with international adoptees throughout the world. They are turning to the stories of each other's geographical and psychological journeys, to make sense of the emotions that accompany separation from their "motherlands," and many other related issues, submerged during childhood, that come up later, often in layers over time, calling out for attention, integration, and healing.
International adoption, especially in the United States, is one of the smaller engines in global multicultural social change. And most of this migratory movement is from Asia to North America....
....There are even more difficult issues that accompany cross-border adoptions, including the illegal trafficking of babies for adoption and the rights of the children being affected by these movements. For a discussion of these larger and interrelated political, legal, moral, and cultural issues, the website of the International Reference Centre for the Rights of Children Deprived of Their Family (ISS/IRC), a program created by the General Secretariat of the International Social Service (ISS), has an excellent overview....
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Recently I went to a heart-rending talk by Fern Schumer Chapman, author of Motherland: Beyond the Holocaust: A Daughter's Journey to Reclaim the Past, about her relationship with her mother and their journey to reconnect with their family history in Germany. Her mother was a Holocaust orphan, one of thousands of Jewish children sent away by their parents, who were unable to also immigrate themselves because very few countries (count out the United States and Australia – the latter cited not anti-Semitism, but the fear of anti-Semitism developing in Australia as the reason for rejecting Jews) would accept Jews. The children on the "Kindertransport," organized by the British Jewish Refugee Committee, now adults in their 70's and 80's, ended up in any country that would accept them. Many passed the trauma of family and cultural separation down to their own children. Later, attempting to help heal themselves and each other, they formed ongoing support groups that are still documenting collective and individual histories.
Chapman's memoir doesn't only resonate with descendants of European Holocaust orphans, but with international adoptees throughout the world. They are turning to the stories of each other's geographical and psychological journeys, to make sense of the emotions that accompany separation from their "motherlands," and many other related issues, submerged during childhood, that come up later, often in layers over time, calling out for attention, integration, and healing.
International adoption, especially in the United States, is one of the smaller engines in global multicultural social change. And most of this migratory movement is from Asia to North America....
....There are even more difficult issues that accompany cross-border adoptions, including the illegal trafficking of babies for adoption and the rights of the children being affected by these movements. For a discussion of these larger and interrelated political, legal, moral, and cultural issues, the website of the International Reference Centre for the Rights of Children Deprived of Their Family (ISS/IRC), a program created by the General Secretariat of the International Social Service (ISS), has an excellent overview....
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It's a long way home for abducted children
With a swollen, almost dark-purple arm, little Cheng Yuqiao was crying and struggling in a woman's arms as she sat at the Guangzhou Railway Station one day in May.
Passengers suspected kidnapping and called police. As it turned out, the woman, who was mentally unstable, was admitted to hospital. The 3-year-old boy received medical attention before being sent to the Guangzhou Welfare House.
Hoping to find the youngster's family, a hospital employee posted the boy's photograph on the Guangzhou Television Station's online forum (club.gztv.com). Netizens began a month-long search. Hundreds of people swapped information.
Eventually, the pieces fell into place: The woman at the railway station was actually the boy's mother. They were from a village in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. The boy had fallen and fractured his arm, and his mother had apparently suffered a mental breakdown during the journey to seek treatment. The family was finally reunited and returned home earlier this month.
In Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province, 2-year-old Xue Yucheng disappeared when his mother suffered a mental breakdown in 2004. But this boy was not as lucky as Cheng Yuqiao; he hasn't been found. His family has printed 5 million leaflets in a desperate attempt to find their child.
It's not known if kidnappings have increased on the mainland because no nationwide data are available. But with media reports of children being stolen from hospitals, snatched by motorcycle riders, wrenched out of their mothers' arms and even abducted from homes, many parents are worried.
"We have to be on guard all the time," said Eva Deng, a Beijing mother, who launched a signature campaign to draw attention to missing children after hearing Cheng Yuqiao's story. She has already collected more than 2,000 signatures and plans to send the letter to Premier Wen Jiabao....
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Passengers suspected kidnapping and called police. As it turned out, the woman, who was mentally unstable, was admitted to hospital. The 3-year-old boy received medical attention before being sent to the Guangzhou Welfare House.
Hoping to find the youngster's family, a hospital employee posted the boy's photograph on the Guangzhou Television Station's online forum (club.gztv.com). Netizens began a month-long search. Hundreds of people swapped information.
Eventually, the pieces fell into place: The woman at the railway station was actually the boy's mother. They were from a village in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. The boy had fallen and fractured his arm, and his mother had apparently suffered a mental breakdown during the journey to seek treatment. The family was finally reunited and returned home earlier this month.
In Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province, 2-year-old Xue Yucheng disappeared when his mother suffered a mental breakdown in 2004. But this boy was not as lucky as Cheng Yuqiao; he hasn't been found. His family has printed 5 million leaflets in a desperate attempt to find their child.
It's not known if kidnappings have increased on the mainland because no nationwide data are available. But with media reports of children being stolen from hospitals, snatched by motorcycle riders, wrenched out of their mothers' arms and even abducted from homes, many parents are worried.
"We have to be on guard all the time," said Eva Deng, a Beijing mother, who launched a signature campaign to draw attention to missing children after hearing Cheng Yuqiao's story. She has already collected more than 2,000 signatures and plans to send the letter to Premier Wen Jiabao....
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Madonna Seeks PR Queen Angelina Jolie "Adopt A Village" Advice
By Toshiba Reynolds
Jul 25, 2006
Word is out all over the gossip-sphere about Madonna's recent appeal to
mother earth Angelina Jolie and her erstwhile companion, Brad Pitt, for
advice on how to properly adopt an orphan.
According to rumors, the aging singing star, who has two children, a
younger director husband, and a sagging audience that requires her
constant vigilance to maintain, has "sadly not been able to get pregnant
again", according to a source that spoke to Brit newsy The Sun. "They
(Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie) both love children and are desperate
to expand their family," adds the source....
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Jul 25, 2006
Word is out all over the gossip-sphere about Madonna's recent appeal to
mother earth Angelina Jolie and her erstwhile companion, Brad Pitt, for
advice on how to properly adopt an orphan.
According to rumors, the aging singing star, who has two children, a
younger director husband, and a sagging audience that requires her
constant vigilance to maintain, has "sadly not been able to get pregnant
again", according to a source that spoke to Brit newsy The Sun. "They
(Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie) both love children and are desperate
to expand their family," adds the source....
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Treaty likely to slow Guatemala adoptions
By JUAN CARLOS LLORCA
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Graphic charts the number of babies adopted from Russia, China and
Guatemala from 1996 to 2005. (AP Graphic)
GUATEMALA CITY -- Every 100th baby born in Guatemala grows up as an
adopted American, making the Central American country the richest source
of adoptees in the Western Hemisphere. But U.S. ratification of an
international adoption treaty is likely to choke off the supply next
summer.
Critics say Guatemala has become a baby farm where adoptions are too
easy and prone to corruption. Defenders say it offers the children a
better future, and that legal corners are cut only to spare Guatemalan
women the stigma of unwed motherhood or relieve them of another mouth to
feed.
For now, willing parents can get Guatemalan babies by paying thousands
of dollars to notaries who act as baby brokers, recruiting birth
mothers, handling all the paperwork and completing the job in less than
half the time it takes elsewhere. The process is so streamlined that
Guatemala outpaces all other countries in the percentage of its children
put up for adoption in the United States....
....It is lucrative: Notaries charge a "country fee" of up to $19,000. With
U.S. paperwork and plane trips, the typical Guatemalan adoption costs as
much as $30,000, adoption agencies say.
But in the last six months alone, the government has brought 30 criminal
cases against notaries for falsifying paperwork, allegedly providing
false birth certificates and even creating false identities to avoid
having to involve the birth father or the parents of underage birth
mothers.
Applications are surging as parents rush to take advantage of the
current process, which will apply to any request filed before the treaty
takes effect in mid-2007. Of the 4,100 cases pending in Arellano's
office, more than 3,000 were filed this year....
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ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Graphic charts the number of babies adopted from Russia, China and
Guatemala from 1996 to 2005. (AP Graphic)
GUATEMALA CITY -- Every 100th baby born in Guatemala grows up as an
adopted American, making the Central American country the richest source
of adoptees in the Western Hemisphere. But U.S. ratification of an
international adoption treaty is likely to choke off the supply next
summer.
Critics say Guatemala has become a baby farm where adoptions are too
easy and prone to corruption. Defenders say it offers the children a
better future, and that legal corners are cut only to spare Guatemalan
women the stigma of unwed motherhood or relieve them of another mouth to
feed.
For now, willing parents can get Guatemalan babies by paying thousands
of dollars to notaries who act as baby brokers, recruiting birth
mothers, handling all the paperwork and completing the job in less than
half the time it takes elsewhere. The process is so streamlined that
Guatemala outpaces all other countries in the percentage of its children
put up for adoption in the United States....
....It is lucrative: Notaries charge a "country fee" of up to $19,000. With
U.S. paperwork and plane trips, the typical Guatemalan adoption costs as
much as $30,000, adoption agencies say.
But in the last six months alone, the government has brought 30 criminal
cases against notaries for falsifying paperwork, allegedly providing
false birth certificates and even creating false identities to avoid
having to involve the birth father or the parents of underage birth
mothers.
Applications are surging as parents rush to take advantage of the
current process, which will apply to any request filed before the treaty
takes effect in mid-2007. Of the 4,100 cases pending in Arellano's
office, more than 3,000 were filed this year....
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Adoption reform addresses abuse
Foreigners wanting to adopt must undergo extensive testing
By Kristina Alda
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
August 16, 2006
Marie Mi?anová feeds infants at a nursery in Prague 4. Stricter measures
for international adoptions will come into effect this fall.
This fall will see the first foreign adoptions of Czech children under
strict regulations the government recently implemented to protect
children from abuse in their new homes.
The regulations, which went into affect late last month, were a response
to the death of 4-year-old Eric, a Czech Romany boy who died under
suspicious circumstances in January, only months after being adopted by
a family in Sweden....
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By Kristina Alda
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
August 16, 2006
Marie Mi?anová feeds infants at a nursery in Prague 4. Stricter measures
for international adoptions will come into effect this fall.
This fall will see the first foreign adoptions of Czech children under
strict regulations the government recently implemented to protect
children from abuse in their new homes.
The regulations, which went into affect late last month, were a response
to the death of 4-year-old Eric, a Czech Romany boy who died under
suspicious circumstances in January, only months after being adopted by
a family in Sweden....
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Author clarifies criticism of US trafficking report
By Charles Snyder
STAFF REPORTER IN WASHINGTON
Friday, Aug 18, 2006, Page 2
A government critique of a US Department of State report on human trafficking in Taiwan was based on last year's version of the annual report, and not on this year's, the critique's chief author said yesterday.
A study by the US' Government Accountability Office (GAO) criticizing the State Department's methodology was detailed yesterday by the Taipei Times ("Report Puts US' Sex-Trade Rebuke of Taiwan in Doubt," page 1).
The article reported that the GAO study was based on this year's report.
However, the chief author of the GAO study, Thomas Melito, said yesterday that it was based primarily on last year's report. He said that the GAO looked at this year's report, but not in as much detail as the earlier report, after comments were made by agencies mentioned in the GAO study....
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STAFF REPORTER IN WASHINGTON
Friday, Aug 18, 2006, Page 2
A government critique of a US Department of State report on human trafficking in Taiwan was based on last year's version of the annual report, and not on this year's, the critique's chief author said yesterday.
A study by the US' Government Accountability Office (GAO) criticizing the State Department's methodology was detailed yesterday by the Taipei Times ("Report Puts US' Sex-Trade Rebuke of Taiwan in Doubt," page 1).
The article reported that the GAO study was based on this year's report.
However, the chief author of the GAO study, Thomas Melito, said yesterday that it was based primarily on last year's report. He said that the GAO looked at this year's report, but not in as much detail as the earlier report, after comments were made by agencies mentioned in the GAO study....
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Truth about Transracial Adoptions (in re: NYT Article)
South End Press Announces
Transracial Adoption: It's Not Just About White Parents
Cambridge, MA - Aug 17, 2006
In today's New York Times the frontpage headline "Breaking Through Adoption's Racial Barriers" introduces an in-depth article about white Americans who have--or are looking to--adopt children of color. But in the inches devoted to the "growing number of white couples pushing past longtime cultural resistance to adopt black
children," we find a series of unasked questions: Why are the so many children of color available for adoption in the first place, both in the US and abroad? How does transracial adoption affect adopted children of color--and their communities? Here and elsewhere, the voices of transracially adopted individuals fall to the margins, voices that are essential to a genuine understanding of this complex issue.
What's missing?
Jeni Wright paints some of the missing picture with her words: "I lean over the sink so my nose is almost touching the glass and mouth to the ugly girl staring back, you look like an ugly African bush girl, over and over until my breath clouds over my face. I start to write 'jungle bunny' in the steam but I am crying too hard to finish. Why hadn't anyone told me I was so ugly? I don't even look like a real girl" (Outsiders Within, 27).
The difficulties of transracial adoption go far beyond self-esteem, far beyond cultural literacy, infinitely deeper than individual discomfort. As Kim Diehl writes in Outsiders Within, transracial adoption is inextricable from long-standing power imbalances that extend from the personal to the institutional. "I did not have any power in the decision to seal my records; I did not have any power in the decision to take federal money away from social service programs that might have prevented family breakup; I did not have any power in the decision to make it a child placement agency policy to ignore race; I did not have any power to keep from being the physical embodiment of a political process that stamped its approval on transracial adoptions in a country founded on the enslavement and oppression of people of color" (32).
Also entirely overlooked is the harm incurred before each transracial adoption ever took place. As Shannon Gibney, a biracial black adult adoptee, puts it, "Once again, the focus is all on the white adoptive parents, and their pain. Once again, adoptees are presented as objects, as children who apparently never grow up, and therefore do not have the capacity to analyze the geopolitical issues that have shaped their identities. Once again, we don't hear the voices of birth parents or adult adoptees." Gibney goes on, "As this article presents it, the only people who are really affected by adoption are white adoptive parents and agencies."...
click here for book
Transracial Adoption: It's Not Just About White Parents
Cambridge, MA - Aug 17, 2006
In today's New York Times the frontpage headline "Breaking Through Adoption's Racial Barriers" introduces an in-depth article about white Americans who have--or are looking to--adopt children of color. But in the inches devoted to the "growing number of white couples pushing past longtime cultural resistance to adopt black
children," we find a series of unasked questions: Why are the so many children of color available for adoption in the first place, both in the US and abroad? How does transracial adoption affect adopted children of color--and their communities? Here and elsewhere, the voices of transracially adopted individuals fall to the margins, voices that are essential to a genuine understanding of this complex issue.
What's missing?
Jeni Wright paints some of the missing picture with her words: "I lean over the sink so my nose is almost touching the glass and mouth to the ugly girl staring back, you look like an ugly African bush girl, over and over until my breath clouds over my face. I start to write 'jungle bunny' in the steam but I am crying too hard to finish. Why hadn't anyone told me I was so ugly? I don't even look like a real girl" (Outsiders Within, 27).
The difficulties of transracial adoption go far beyond self-esteem, far beyond cultural literacy, infinitely deeper than individual discomfort. As Kim Diehl writes in Outsiders Within, transracial adoption is inextricable from long-standing power imbalances that extend from the personal to the institutional. "I did not have any power in the decision to seal my records; I did not have any power in the decision to take federal money away from social service programs that might have prevented family breakup; I did not have any power in the decision to make it a child placement agency policy to ignore race; I did not have any power to keep from being the physical embodiment of a political process that stamped its approval on transracial adoptions in a country founded on the enslavement and oppression of people of color" (32).
Also entirely overlooked is the harm incurred before each transracial adoption ever took place. As Shannon Gibney, a biracial black adult adoptee, puts it, "Once again, the focus is all on the white adoptive parents, and their pain. Once again, adoptees are presented as objects, as children who apparently never grow up, and therefore do not have the capacity to analyze the geopolitical issues that have shaped their identities. Once again, we don't hear the voices of birth parents or adult adoptees." Gibney goes on, "As this article presents it, the only people who are really affected by adoption are white adoptive parents and agencies."...
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A Mother Adopts, and Discovers Her Own Racism
A white mother who adopts a baby from India confronts her shame that her child's skin is dark, and realizes she needs more diverse friends.
When I was trying to decide who and from where to adopt, I had a lot of questions about transracial adoptions, and most people responded to my curiosity with a subtle discomfort. I felt embarrassed voicing possible concerns to my liberal friends, because all of us were adamant that race made no difference to our choice of friends, lovers, or tiny babies up for adoption. But in looking around at these friends, they all seemed a pretty tribal bunch: when it came time to make a family, in nearly every case, like colors had stuck together.
The first photo I received of Vaishali showed her with fair skin. I was surprised, because from what my adoption agency told me, the child assigned to me would be much darker. After I got over that surprise, I had another: I felt relief. Suddenly -- guiltily -- it was a comfort to know that she would not look so different from me, and even more important, that her light skin would save her from a lifetime of prejudice.
But ah, the magic of flashbulbs. A few months later I received several more photos and gaped at them in shock. The baby was much, much darker. Worried that the child to whom I had grown unbelievably attached had been given to some other family, I sent a bewildered email to my adoption agency in Maine which then made a bewildered phone call to their trusted social worker in India, who assured us that she had seen the child on many occasions and all the photos were of the same girl. Phew, I thought, as long as this little girl is the same one I have held in my heart for three months, she is my daughter and I am going to bring her home.
I flew to Bombay and became a mother. For the first week, my new daughter Vaishali clung to me, terrified, and I sacrificed eating, sleeping and bathing in the service of comforting her. Over and over, I told her: Mama is here. You are my baby.
Back home, after a couple weeks had passed, I stared at Vaishali's naked bottom -- her darkest part -- and tried to ignore the insistent whispers of fear. Instead of brimming with pride, I felt like a trespasser, performing ablutions on this private flesh with color so foreign from my own. It was one thing to swoon over her photographs for months, but now she was in my home; she was my family. How could this be my daughter? I looked at her and tried to find similarities between us, relieved that her hair was straight, her lips not too full. Just thinking these thoughts made me feel horribly ashamed. I tried to sort emotion from fact: was it the dark color of her skin that was making me uncomfortable, or just that she did not look like me? I ached to talk to someone about it, but I was too afraid people would disapprove, would doubt my ability to be a loving mother....
click here for remaining article
When I was trying to decide who and from where to adopt, I had a lot of questions about transracial adoptions, and most people responded to my curiosity with a subtle discomfort. I felt embarrassed voicing possible concerns to my liberal friends, because all of us were adamant that race made no difference to our choice of friends, lovers, or tiny babies up for adoption. But in looking around at these friends, they all seemed a pretty tribal bunch: when it came time to make a family, in nearly every case, like colors had stuck together.
The first photo I received of Vaishali showed her with fair skin. I was surprised, because from what my adoption agency told me, the child assigned to me would be much darker. After I got over that surprise, I had another: I felt relief. Suddenly -- guiltily -- it was a comfort to know that she would not look so different from me, and even more important, that her light skin would save her from a lifetime of prejudice.
But ah, the magic of flashbulbs. A few months later I received several more photos and gaped at them in shock. The baby was much, much darker. Worried that the child to whom I had grown unbelievably attached had been given to some other family, I sent a bewildered email to my adoption agency in Maine which then made a bewildered phone call to their trusted social worker in India, who assured us that she had seen the child on many occasions and all the photos were of the same girl. Phew, I thought, as long as this little girl is the same one I have held in my heart for three months, she is my daughter and I am going to bring her home.
I flew to Bombay and became a mother. For the first week, my new daughter Vaishali clung to me, terrified, and I sacrificed eating, sleeping and bathing in the service of comforting her. Over and over, I told her: Mama is here. You are my baby.
Back home, after a couple weeks had passed, I stared at Vaishali's naked bottom -- her darkest part -- and tried to ignore the insistent whispers of fear. Instead of brimming with pride, I felt like a trespasser, performing ablutions on this private flesh with color so foreign from my own. It was one thing to swoon over her photographs for months, but now she was in my home; she was my family. How could this be my daughter? I looked at her and tried to find similarities between us, relieved that her hair was straight, her lips not too full. Just thinking these thoughts made me feel horribly ashamed. I tried to sort emotion from fact: was it the dark color of her skin that was making me uncomfortable, or just that she did not look like me? I ached to talk to someone about it, but I was too afraid people would disapprove, would doubt my ability to be a loving mother....
click here for remaining article
Kitsap Woman Arrested In Death Of Adopted Boy
By Akiko Fujita
PORT ORCHARD, WASH. - A Kitsap County mother pled innocent to charges of homicide by abuse and manslaughter in the first degree Monday.
Kimberly Forder is accused of killing her 8-year-old son Christopher Michael four years ago and abusing her other children. Bail has been set at $1 million.
"As the investigation progressed, it became readily apparent that something was not normal about this child's demise," said Kitsap County Sheriff Steve Boyer. "Reasonable suspicions started to elevate in the investigated sense."
Detectives were first called to the Forders' home in Seabeck the night of Nov. 24, 2002. Inside, they found Forder's adopted son Christopher dead.
"I saw a lifeless young boy who had been battered," said Detective Lori Blackenship. "Appeared to be battered; bruises, multiple bruises throughout his body."
The Forders told detectives the bruises were the result of a disorder, though the two never sought medical help. An autopsy revealed Christopher died from pneumonia but the county coroner never determined the manner in which he died and kept the case open....
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PORT ORCHARD, WASH. - A Kitsap County mother pled innocent to charges of homicide by abuse and manslaughter in the first degree Monday.
Kimberly Forder is accused of killing her 8-year-old son Christopher Michael four years ago and abusing her other children. Bail has been set at $1 million.
"As the investigation progressed, it became readily apparent that something was not normal about this child's demise," said Kitsap County Sheriff Steve Boyer. "Reasonable suspicions started to elevate in the investigated sense."
Detectives were first called to the Forders' home in Seabeck the night of Nov. 24, 2002. Inside, they found Forder's adopted son Christopher dead.
"I saw a lifeless young boy who had been battered," said Detective Lori Blackenship. "Appeared to be battered; bruises, multiple bruises throughout his body."
The Forders told detectives the bruises were the result of a disorder, though the two never sought medical help. An autopsy revealed Christopher died from pneumonia but the county coroner never determined the manner in which he died and kept the case open....
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Madonna and Ritchie to adopt, says report
Sunday, September 3 2006, 7:04pm EDT
By Dave West, Media Correspondent
Madonna and Guy Ritchie are planning to adopt an African baby, according to reports.
The couple hope an addition to the family will strengthen their marriage, which has been the subject of speculation for some time, according to The People.
A source told the paper that they took the decision after trying unsuccessfully to have their own child for some time. Now they plan to visit an orphanage in Malawi next month and bring back a child.
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By Dave West, Media Correspondent
Madonna and Guy Ritchie are planning to adopt an African baby, according to reports.
The couple hope an addition to the family will strengthen their marriage, which has been the subject of speculation for some time, according to The People.
A source told the paper that they took the decision after trying unsuccessfully to have their own child for some time. Now they plan to visit an orphanage in Malawi next month and bring back a child.
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Korean adoption cut hits Aussie families
September 16, 2006 - 11:06PM
South Korea has suspended adoptions, creating uncertainty for Australian families waiting for a child.
The NSW Department of Community Services (DOCS) confirmed the suspension but said it was only temporary, Fairfax reports.
All applications already received by Korean authorities would be processed, a DOCS spokeswoman said.
"The Korean program has been a very smooth process but the birth rate has been down and they've been placing babies locally," she said.
"At this stage it hasn't been closed and we see ups and downs in other countries all the time.
"But Korea has never hidden the fact that they planned to become a country that has no inter-country [adoptions] because they are aiming to provide for their own people."
click here for article
South Korea has suspended adoptions, creating uncertainty for Australian families waiting for a child.
The NSW Department of Community Services (DOCS) confirmed the suspension but said it was only temporary, Fairfax reports.
All applications already received by Korean authorities would be processed, a DOCS spokeswoman said.
"The Korean program has been a very smooth process but the birth rate has been down and they've been placing babies locally," she said.
"At this stage it hasn't been closed and we see ups and downs in other countries all the time.
"But Korea has never hidden the fact that they planned to become a country that has no inter-country [adoptions] because they are aiming to provide for their own people."
click here for article
German 'Superpapa' Busted After Adopting Over 300 Kids
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
ASUNCION, Paraguay — A man known as "Superpapa" who says he took advantage of a quirk in German laws to adopt more than 300 children worldwide has been arrested on suspicion of violating laws on child rearing in Paraguay, authorities said Tuesday.
Jurgen Ernst Hass, a German citizen whose claims were widely published in the European media, was picked up Monday at a hotel in the city of Caaguazu and taken to a jail in the capital of Asuncion, about 140 miles east, according to a police statement.
Police said Hass, 56, was turned over to the courts for investigation of reported attempts to adopt dozens of Paraguayan children and would be called for initial questioning in coming days.
Hass, dubbed "Superpapa" by the local press, drew attention with public boasts of numerous adoptions around the world.
Police said Hass acknowledged taking steps to adopt some 30 Paraguayan children with the intent of taking them to Germany to collect a government subsidy of $260 a month for each under Germany's child protection laws....
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ASUNCION, Paraguay — A man known as "Superpapa" who says he took advantage of a quirk in German laws to adopt more than 300 children worldwide has been arrested on suspicion of violating laws on child rearing in Paraguay, authorities said Tuesday.
Jurgen Ernst Hass, a German citizen whose claims were widely published in the European media, was picked up Monday at a hotel in the city of Caaguazu and taken to a jail in the capital of Asuncion, about 140 miles east, according to a police statement.
Police said Hass, 56, was turned over to the courts for investigation of reported attempts to adopt dozens of Paraguayan children and would be called for initial questioning in coming days.
Hass, dubbed "Superpapa" by the local press, drew attention with public boasts of numerous adoptions around the world.
Police said Hass acknowledged taking steps to adopt some 30 Paraguayan children with the intent of taking them to Germany to collect a government subsidy of $260 a month for each under Germany's child protection laws....
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On the trail of a trafficked child
By Louisa Lim
BBC correspondent in Kunming
In a poor district in the southern city of Kunming, children play beside heaps of gravel left by construction crews.
The scene brings back painful memories for Li Qifang and his wife, Pu Caiju.
More than two years ago their four-year-old son was playing outside their house when he was abducted. They have not seen him since.
"He disappeared on 15 March 2002. His father took him outside to play with his spinning top, and popped upstairs for two minutes. Suddenly the child wasn't there any more," said Pu Caiju.
"That day we couldn't imagine such a thing could happen. We were crazy with fear, searching the little alleys, big roads and bus stations. We searched for days, but didn't find anything," she said.
The couple now fear their son was abducted by a baby trafficking ring....
click here for remaining article
BBC correspondent in Kunming
In a poor district in the southern city of Kunming, children play beside heaps of gravel left by construction crews.
The scene brings back painful memories for Li Qifang and his wife, Pu Caiju.
More than two years ago their four-year-old son was playing outside their house when he was abducted. They have not seen him since.
"He disappeared on 15 March 2002. His father took him outside to play with his spinning top, and popped upstairs for two minutes. Suddenly the child wasn't there any more," said Pu Caiju.
"That day we couldn't imagine such a thing could happen. We were crazy with fear, searching the little alleys, big roads and bus stations. We searched for days, but didn't find anything," she said.
The couple now fear their son was abducted by a baby trafficking ring....
click here for remaining article
Govt to rein in adoption profiteers
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has drawn up guidelines to
prevent financial exploitation of the adoption system in response to an
increasing number of profit-driven private adoption agencies.
The ministry notified prefectural and ordinance-designate d city
governments of the guidelines Monday. Local governments are responsible
for ensuring that private adoption agencies implement the new measures.
The majority of adoptions arranged by private agencies, are newborn
babies, adopted both domestically and overseas.
According to a survey conducted by the ministry in 2004, there were 76
instances in which children were adopted by overseas parents between
April 2001 and March 2004.
click here for remaining article
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has drawn up guidelines to
prevent financial exploitation of the adoption system in response to an
increasing number of profit-driven private adoption agencies.
The ministry notified prefectural and ordinance-designate d city
governments of the guidelines Monday. Local governments are responsible
for ensuring that private adoption agencies implement the new measures.
The majority of adoptions arranged by private agencies, are newborn
babies, adopted both domestically and overseas.
According to a survey conducted by the ministry in 2004, there were 76
instances in which children were adopted by overseas parents between
April 2001 and March 2004.
click here for remaining article
Awayday perverts 'abusing orphans'
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Paedophiles are setting up orphanages overseas so fellow perverts can molest children during 'awayday' trips.
Registered offenders are exploiting a legal loophole to travel abroad for three days without telling the police, leaving them free to carry out attacks.
They are taking advantage of cheap air travel to visit countries such as the Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria, where they have easy access to vulnerable children.
There have also been similar cases of abuse reported in Spain and France.
The fears are highlighted in a report today by an umbrella group of children's charities. They say paedophiles who have not yet been convicted are setting up orphanages in countries, such as Albania, then abusing those they claim to help.
They then act as 'a hub and a magnet' to registered sex offenders who are allowed three days' unsupervised travel under rules introduced in 2003.
The law, intended to stop sex tourists targeting children in Thailand and the Philippines, still allows them ample time to take short breaks in Eastern Europe....
click here for remaining article
Paedophiles are setting up orphanages overseas so fellow perverts can molest children during 'awayday' trips.
Registered offenders are exploiting a legal loophole to travel abroad for three days without telling the police, leaving them free to carry out attacks.
They are taking advantage of cheap air travel to visit countries such as the Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria, where they have easy access to vulnerable children.
There have also been similar cases of abuse reported in Spain and France.
The fears are highlighted in a report today by an umbrella group of children's charities. They say paedophiles who have not yet been convicted are setting up orphanages in countries, such as Albania, then abusing those they claim to help.
They then act as 'a hub and a magnet' to registered sex offenders who are allowed three days' unsupervised travel under rules introduced in 2003.
The law, intended to stop sex tourists targeting children in Thailand and the Philippines, still allows them ample time to take short breaks in Eastern Europe....
click here for remaining article
Child-Porn Victim Brings Her Story to Washington
Teen Shares Her Horrific Experiences at Congressional Hearing Targeting Online Porn
Aug. 31, 2006
There are approximately 3 million images of child pornography on the Internet.
As large as that number may seem, it can be a sad, abstract and faceless statistic.
In May, Masha Allen, a Russian-born 13-year-old, put a face on child pornography and its victims when she testified before Congress.
She revealed the horrific pain behind those numbers in written testimony that described her experiences as a victim of online child molestation and pornography.
Masha thought she was heading for a better life in America when she was adopted in 1998 by Matthew Mancuso, who brought the 8-year-old to his home in Pittsburgh.
Instead, she became a victim of child pornography as Mancuso adopted her with the purpose of molesting her and using her to produce pornographic photos, which he would then share with others.
She appeared in more than 200 explicit photos that circulated on the Internet....
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Primetime/International/story?id=1919036&page=1">click here for remaining article
Aug. 31, 2006
There are approximately 3 million images of child pornography on the Internet.
As large as that number may seem, it can be a sad, abstract and faceless statistic.
In May, Masha Allen, a Russian-born 13-year-old, put a face on child pornography and its victims when she testified before Congress.
She revealed the horrific pain behind those numbers in written testimony that described her experiences as a victim of online child molestation and pornography.
Masha thought she was heading for a better life in America when she was adopted in 1998 by Matthew Mancuso, who brought the 8-year-old to his home in Pittsburgh.
Instead, she became a victim of child pornography as Mancuso adopted her with the purpose of molesting her and using her to produce pornographic photos, which he would then share with others.
She appeared in more than 200 explicit photos that circulated on the Internet....
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Primetime/International/story?id=1919036&page=1">click here for remaining article
Child-Porn Victim Brings Her Story to Washington
Masha's Law
Masha's courage may now assist lawmakers as they look for ways to combat the growing child-porn industry.
Authorities say one in five children is now approached by online predators in what Congress calls a multibillion-dollar industry.
Nine other people have been convicted in federal court for downloading Masha's pictures.
There are dozens of notices of other pending cases, a number that does not begin to reflect the actual number of potential defendants in criminal and civil cases.
In July, President Bush signed Masha's Law, which dramatically increases the fines and penalties for downloading kiddie porn.
It's part of a larger law called the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, which requires convicted child molesters to be listed on a national Internet database and face a felony charge for failing to update their whereabouts....
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Primetime/International/story?id=1919036&page=2">click here for remaining article
Masha's courage may now assist lawmakers as they look for ways to combat the growing child-porn industry.
Authorities say one in five children is now approached by online predators in what Congress calls a multibillion-dollar industry.
Nine other people have been convicted in federal court for downloading Masha's pictures.
There are dozens of notices of other pending cases, a number that does not begin to reflect the actual number of potential defendants in criminal and civil cases.
In July, President Bush signed Masha's Law, which dramatically increases the fines and penalties for downloading kiddie porn.
It's part of a larger law called the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, which requires convicted child molesters to be listed on a national Internet database and face a felony charge for failing to update their whereabouts....
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Primetime/International/story?id=1919036&page=2">click here for remaining article
Stone to adopt again
By AskMen.com Editors
Sharon Stone wants to adopt a fourth child, it has been reported.
The 'Basic Instinct' actress already has three adopted sons - Roan, six, 14-month-old Laird and baby Quinn, who she welcomed into her family last month - but wants to extend her family even further.
A source told Australia's New Weekly magazine: "Sharon loves being a mother and being able to give these children the love they deserve. She may not even stop at four."
It seems Stone, 48, plans to follow in Angelina Jolie's footsteps and give a home to an underprivileged child from overseas.
The source added: "She doesn't want to sound like Angelina but she likes the idea of adopting kids from all different nationalities."
Stone is just one of a host of Hollywood stars to adopt children.
click here for remaining article
Sharon Stone wants to adopt a fourth child, it has been reported.
The 'Basic Instinct' actress already has three adopted sons - Roan, six, 14-month-old Laird and baby Quinn, who she welcomed into her family last month - but wants to extend her family even further.
A source told Australia's New Weekly magazine: "Sharon loves being a mother and being able to give these children the love they deserve. She may not even stop at four."
It seems Stone, 48, plans to follow in Angelina Jolie's footsteps and give a home to an underprivileged child from overseas.
The source added: "She doesn't want to sound like Angelina but she likes the idea of adopting kids from all different nationalities."
Stone is just one of a host of Hollywood stars to adopt children.
click here for remaining article
SLIM'S WIFE SLAMS ADOPTION POLICIES
DJ FATBOY SLIM's TV presenter wife ZOE BALL is angry at the ease with which Hollywood stars are able to adopt children, while ordinary childless couples are forced to struggle to become parents.
British Ball and Fatboy Slim - real name NORMAN COOK - are considering Invitro Fertilisation and adoption after failing to conceive a second child naturally.
But Ball insists the reality of adoption is much tougher than the idyllic view promoted by ANGELINA JOLIE and SHARON STONE - who have both adopted foreign babies.
She says, "We've talked about adopting as well, and I think it's a great thing, but we don't know yet. I have friends who have really struggled to adopt, so I know it will be tough.
"It's frustrating to see Hollywood stars who seem to walk in and pick up a child, while other people are being told things like they're too old to adopt."
click here for remaining article
British Ball and Fatboy Slim - real name NORMAN COOK - are considering Invitro Fertilisation and adoption after failing to conceive a second child naturally.
But Ball insists the reality of adoption is much tougher than the idyllic view promoted by ANGELINA JOLIE and SHARON STONE - who have both adopted foreign babies.
She says, "We've talked about adopting as well, and I think it's a great thing, but we don't know yet. I have friends who have really struggled to adopt, so I know it will be tough.
"It's frustrating to see Hollywood stars who seem to walk in and pick up a child, while other people are being told things like they're too old to adopt."
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Parents Never Receive Adoptive Children; Agency Closed
POSTED: 10:33 pm EDT September 13, 2006
UPDATED: 10:44 pm EDT September 13, 2006
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PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. -- Seven couples said they spent a total of
$141,000 to adopt children they still have not received into their
families, and the man whom they said they paid is nowhere to be found.
Jose and Maria Estrada said they gave nearly $37,000 to an agency called
Adoption Placement in the hope of adopting two children from Russia.
"I dream of taking the children to the park. I dream of taking the
children to baseball games, taking them here, there, to Disney World.
This may never happen to us," Jose Estrada said.
Two years later, there is no sign of the children, the money or the man
who the Estradas said took the money, Robert Kuschel.
"First, he said that we have to trust the Lord," Maria Estrada said.
The Estradas said that was the first of several excuses.
"(We felt) disappointment (in) trusting someone that you feel was honest
and could come forward with a family for you, and now we see that it was
just a game," Maria Estrada said.
Rick Rammos and Jane Seaman gave Kuschel $27,000. Like the Estradas,
they have a bundle of e-mail excuses and no child....
click here for remaining article
UPDATED: 10:44 pm EDT September 13, 2006
Email This Story | Print This Story
Sign Up for Breaking News Alerts
PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. -- Seven couples said they spent a total of
$141,000 to adopt children they still have not received into their
families, and the man whom they said they paid is nowhere to be found.
Jose and Maria Estrada said they gave nearly $37,000 to an agency called
Adoption Placement in the hope of adopting two children from Russia.
"I dream of taking the children to the park. I dream of taking the
children to baseball games, taking them here, there, to Disney World.
This may never happen to us," Jose Estrada said.
Two years later, there is no sign of the children, the money or the man
who the Estradas said took the money, Robert Kuschel.
"First, he said that we have to trust the Lord," Maria Estrada said.
The Estradas said that was the first of several excuses.
"(We felt) disappointment (in) trusting someone that you feel was honest
and could come forward with a family for you, and now we see that it was
just a game," Maria Estrada said.
Rick Rammos and Jane Seaman gave Kuschel $27,000. Like the Estradas,
they have a bundle of e-mail excuses and no child....
click here for remaining article
States lose on adoption
September 15, 2006
THE states will be stripped of prime responsibility for Australia's overseas adoption programs, with the Federal Government taking over management of the system.
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock's department will assume control of overseas adoptions after a federal parliamentary inquiry blamed state government neglect and hostility for driving down the number of adoptions in Australia since the early 1970s.
The House of Representatives committee, which reported last November, found a general lack of support for adoptions among state and territory governments.
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THE states will be stripped of prime responsibility for Australia's overseas adoption programs, with the Federal Government taking over management of the system.
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock's department will assume control of overseas adoptions after a federal parliamentary inquiry blamed state government neglect and hostility for driving down the number of adoptions in Australia since the early 1970s.
The House of Representatives committee, which reported last November, found a general lack of support for adoptions among state and territory governments.
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Child abduction trade reported in China
Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:54 pm (PST)
Asia-Pacific News
Child abduction trade reported in China
Sep 18, 2006, 19:04 GMT
BEIJING, China (UPI) -- Britain`s Sky News says it has found that trade
in child abduction goes on in China with the victims` families
complaining of coverup by authorities.
The report said hundreds, if not thousands of children, have been taken
from their families, who say they are being harassed by police for
trying to find their children.
The report said boys are the main targets because of strict birth
control laws limiting parents to two children.
One man admitted to Sky News to kidnapping children and selling them to
help pay debts. He said he even sold his own for about $750.
One orphanage reportedly had bought a number of abducted children and
sold them to other orphanages for a profit. Some of the children are
also adopted by foreign couples in exchange for a $3,500 donation per
child....
click here for remaining article
Asia-Pacific News
Child abduction trade reported in China
Sep 18, 2006, 19:04 GMT
BEIJING, China (UPI) -- Britain`s Sky News says it has found that trade
in child abduction goes on in China with the victims` families
complaining of coverup by authorities.
The report said hundreds, if not thousands of children, have been taken
from their families, who say they are being harassed by police for
trying to find their children.
The report said boys are the main targets because of strict birth
control laws limiting parents to two children.
One man admitted to Sky News to kidnapping children and selling them to
help pay debts. He said he even sold his own for about $750.
One orphanage reportedly had bought a number of abducted children and
sold them to other orphanages for a profit. Some of the children are
also adopted by foreign couples in exchange for a $3,500 donation per
child....
click here for remaining article
Angelina Jolie New Adoption Inspired by 'A Mighty Heart'
By Cyndi James
Sep 13, 2006
Angelina Jolie wants a new baby according to speculation and well - her own words. She reportedly has been inspired by her latest film effort 'A Mighty Heart' and wants to adopt again - and this time she and boyfriend Brad Pitt will be adding a baby from India according to Star Magazine.
Angelina told director Robert Rodriguez in January that she eventually wanted 13 kids, has given rise to recent speculation that number 4 is already on the way....
click here for remaining article
Sep 13, 2006
Angelina Jolie wants a new baby according to speculation and well - her own words. She reportedly has been inspired by her latest film effort 'A Mighty Heart' and wants to adopt again - and this time she and boyfriend Brad Pitt will be adding a baby from India according to Star Magazine.
Angelina told director Robert Rodriguez in January that she eventually wanted 13 kids, has given rise to recent speculation that number 4 is already on the way....
click here for remaining article
Suicidal behaviour in national and international adult adoptees
Suicidal behaviour in national and international adult adoptees
Authors: Von Borczyskowski, A ; Hjern, A ; Lindblad, F ; Vinnerljung, B
Affiliation: Natl Inst Psychosocial Med, S-17177 Stockholm, Sweden
Karolinska Inst, Dept Publ Hlth Sci, Div Psychosocial Factors & Hlth,
Stockholm, Sweden
Hamburg Univ Appl Sci, Hamburg, Germany
Natl Board Hlth & Welf, Ctr Epidemiol, Stockholm, Sweden
Huddinge Univ Hosp, Karolinska Inst, Dept Clin Sci, Stockholm, Sweden
Natl Board Hlth & Welf, Inst Evidence Based Social Work Practice,
Stockholm, Sweden
Univ Stockholm, Dept Social Work, Stockholm, Sweden.
Source: Social Psychiatry And Psychiatric Epidemiology. Year 2006. Vol.
41, Issue 2, Pages 95-102
Year: 2006
Authors: Von Borczyskowski, A ; Hjern, A ; Lindblad, F ; Vinnerljung, B
Affiliation: Natl Inst Psychosocial Med, S-17177 Stockholm, Sweden
Karolinska Inst, Dept Publ Hlth Sci, Div Psychosocial Factors & Hlth,
Stockholm, Sweden
Hamburg Univ Appl Sci, Hamburg, Germany
Natl Board Hlth & Welf, Ctr Epidemiol, Stockholm, Sweden
Huddinge Univ Hosp, Karolinska Inst, Dept Clin Sci, Stockholm, Sweden
Natl Board Hlth & Welf, Inst Evidence Based Social Work Practice,
Stockholm, Sweden
Univ Stockholm, Dept Social Work, Stockholm, Sweden.
Source: Social Psychiatry And Psychiatric Epidemiology. Year 2006. Vol.
41, Issue 2, Pages 95-102
Year: 2006
Adoption racket: NGO moves court
Adoption racket: NGO moves court
[ 19 Sep, 2006 0106hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
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MUMBAI: Vasai-based NGO Advait Foundation has moved the Bombay high
court seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into
the alleged sale of babies by adoption agencies.
The high court has issued notices to the respondents in the case,
including the state government, the adoption cell under the Union
ministry of social welfare, the Indian Council of Social Welfare and the
Central Adoption Resource Agency.
The foundation has alleged that infants were being taken away allegedly
by adoption agencies after paying paltry sums to their biological
parents and then sold to NRI's and foreign nationals....
click here for remaining article
[ 19 Sep, 2006 0106hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
RSS Feeds| SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
MUMBAI: Vasai-based NGO Advait Foundation has moved the Bombay high
court seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into
the alleged sale of babies by adoption agencies.
The high court has issued notices to the respondents in the case,
including the state government, the adoption cell under the Union
ministry of social welfare, the Indian Council of Social Welfare and the
Central Adoption Resource Agency.
The foundation has alleged that infants were being taken away allegedly
by adoption agencies after paying paltry sums to their biological
parents and then sold to NRI's and foreign nationals....
click here for remaining article
Critics hurt Naomi Robson
NAOMI Robson said she has been hurt by critics of her mission to rescue a West Papuan orphan from a tribe of cannibals.
Robson returned as host of Today Tonight last night for the first time since she and a Channel 7 crew were ordered out of the province.
She said pundits had made the story about saving six year-old Wawa -- branded a witch by his tribe and marked for death -- into something it was not.
"I have been pilloried and endured considerable personal attacks over this story," Robson said on air....
click here for remaining article
Robson returned as host of Today Tonight last night for the first time since she and a Channel 7 crew were ordered out of the province.
She said pundits had made the story about saving six year-old Wawa -- branded a witch by his tribe and marked for death -- into something it was not.
"I have been pilloried and endured considerable personal attacks over this story," Robson said on air....
click here for remaining article
MADONNA - MADONNA TO ADOPT AFRICAN TWINS?
Superstar MADONNA and director husband GUY RITCHIE are reportedly planning to adopt twins from an African orphanage. The couple are set to fly to poverty-stricken Malawi, south east Africa, to meet the president BINGU WA MUTHARIKA and finalise legal details with adoption lawyers. The pair already have two children - a son together, six-year-old ROCCO and Madonna has daughter, 10-year-old LOURDES from a previous relationship....
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Madonna and Guy Ritchie to adopt child - or children - next month?
Sunday September 24th, 2006 at 8:04 pm by Lucy
Madonna and Guy Ritchie are reportedly planning to adopt a child, or perhaps children, from an orphanage in Malawi.
A source close to the couple has told the People newspaper: “Originally Madonna and Guy planned to adopt only one child. But when they were told that might mean breaking up a family unit they immediately said they would take siblings or twins if that was the right thing to do.”
“They want the children to be as young as possible but are prepared to take kids up to the age of four.”
“And they are also willing to consider a child with special needs arising from being abandoned in an orphanage.”
click here for remaining article
Madonna and Guy Ritchie are reportedly planning to adopt a child, or perhaps children, from an orphanage in Malawi.
A source close to the couple has told the People newspaper: “Originally Madonna and Guy planned to adopt only one child. But when they were told that might mean breaking up a family unit they immediately said they would take siblings or twins if that was the right thing to do.”
“They want the children to be as young as possible but are prepared to take kids up to the age of four.”
“And they are also willing to consider a child with special needs arising from being abandoned in an orphanage.”
click here for remaining article
Adoption profiteers face govt curbs
Adoption profiteers face govt curbs
Masaki Takakura Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
With a view to preventing human trafficking masquerading under the guise
of child adoption, the government has established a new set of
regulations for adoption agencies. However, many questions remain
unaddressed.
Under current laws, privately run adoption agencies are allowed to
receive money from adoptive families in the form of expenses to cover
the costs entailed in arranging both domestic and overseas adoptions.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry drafted a set of guidelines in
August--the first of their kind--detailing a concrete list and
definition of "expenses."
The list of expenses comprises 10 items, such as travel costs and
telephone bills, as well as counseling and related services offered by
the agencies to adoptive parents.
On Aug. 28, the ministry urged all 47 prefectural governments, and 15
major cities with adoption-related authorities, to tighten measures to
eliminate adoption agency profiteers.
The guidelines prohibit agencies from receiving any money prior to the
completion of the adoption process. However, "donations" are often
difficult to distinguish from legitimate costs for adoption services,
officials said....
click here for remaining article
Masaki Takakura Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
With a view to preventing human trafficking masquerading under the guise
of child adoption, the government has established a new set of
regulations for adoption agencies. However, many questions remain
unaddressed.
Under current laws, privately run adoption agencies are allowed to
receive money from adoptive families in the form of expenses to cover
the costs entailed in arranging both domestic and overseas adoptions.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry drafted a set of guidelines in
August--the first of their kind--detailing a concrete list and
definition of "expenses."
The list of expenses comprises 10 items, such as travel costs and
telephone bills, as well as counseling and related services offered by
the agencies to adoptive parents.
On Aug. 28, the ministry urged all 47 prefectural governments, and 15
major cities with adoption-related authorities, to tighten measures to
eliminate adoption agency profiteers.
The guidelines prohibit agencies from receiving any money prior to the
completion of the adoption process. However, "donations" are often
difficult to distinguish from legitimate costs for adoption services,
officials said....
click here for remaining article
Adoption Scam: IN Woman Sentenced
Updated: Oct 5, 2006 11:25 AM PDT
New Media Producer: Kerry Corum
A 42-year-old Carmel, Indiana woman, convicted of bilking couples out of nearly $100,000 in an adoption scam, has been sentenced to two years on electronically monitored home detention.
Victoria Farahan also was sentenced to five years probation as part of a plea agreement on charges of mail and wire fraud.
The Russian native pleaded guilty in June, as part of a deal with the US attorney's office.
Authorities say Farahan told couples that she worked with an international agency and could use her Russian contacts to help them adopt children from that country.
Authorities say couples gave her money but no adoptions were ever completed.
Federal Judge Larry McKinney says Farahan already has repaid more than $97,000....
click here for remaining story
New Media Producer: Kerry Corum
A 42-year-old Carmel, Indiana woman, convicted of bilking couples out of nearly $100,000 in an adoption scam, has been sentenced to two years on electronically monitored home detention.
Victoria Farahan also was sentenced to five years probation as part of a plea agreement on charges of mail and wire fraud.
The Russian native pleaded guilty in June, as part of a deal with the US attorney's office.
Authorities say Farahan told couples that she worked with an international agency and could use her Russian contacts to help them adopt children from that country.
Authorities say couples gave her money but no adoptions were ever completed.
Federal Judge Larry McKinney says Farahan already has repaid more than $97,000....
click here for remaining story
Attorney calls Jonesville couple 'loving parents'
Attorney calls Jonesville couple 'loving parents'
RACHEL E. LEONARD, Staff Writer
Published September 30, 2006
Two apparently malnourished children taken into emergency protective
custody one week ago are small for their age because they suffered from
fetal alcohol syndrome and neglect in an Estonian orphanage, their
parents said Friday.
Union County sheriff's deputies arrested John and Connie Oliver of
Jonesville Monday after the adopted children, a 10-year-old boy and a
12-year-old girl, were found playing unsupervised on a church playground
near their home. The children said they had not been fed that day and
that their mother abused them.
Neighbors told officers they believed the children were being neglected,
and Connie Oliver, 53, was charged with felony unlawful neglect. John
Oliver, 48, was charged with misdemeanor cruelty to children....
click here for remaining article
RACHEL E. LEONARD, Staff Writer
Published September 30, 2006
Two apparently malnourished children taken into emergency protective
custody one week ago are small for their age because they suffered from
fetal alcohol syndrome and neglect in an Estonian orphanage, their
parents said Friday.
Union County sheriff's deputies arrested John and Connie Oliver of
Jonesville Monday after the adopted children, a 10-year-old boy and a
12-year-old girl, were found playing unsupervised on a church playground
near their home. The children said they had not been fed that day and
that their mother abused them.
Neighbors told officers they believed the children were being neglected,
and Connie Oliver, 53, was charged with felony unlawful neglect. John
Oliver, 48, was charged with misdemeanor cruelty to children....
click here for remaining article
Revealed: Bulgaria's baby traders
The Sunday Times October 01, 2006
Revealed: Bulgaria's baby traders
Nicola Smith Plovdiv
'Little Kalinka is yours for £11,000' – her grandmother
THE tiny baby slept snugly in the crook of her grandmother’s arm,
oblivious to the ghetto filth around her and to the squalid manner in
which she was being offered for sale.
The old woman may have held the infant gently, but her face was hard.
This, after all, was business.
“Her name is Kalinka — it means ladybird,” she said, passing the child
to me in a soft pink blanket that enveloped all of her except for a
pretty face of perfect serenity.
I cuddled Kalinka for a moment, feeling her warmth while the gleam of
avarice in her grandmother’s eyes chilled me.
“How much money do you want for this baby?” I asked.
“That is for her mother to negotiate. Come back at 5pm and we will wait
for you at that corner over there,” she said, pointing across the mud
road to a building as run down as any in the slums of Bulgaria’s second
city, Plovdiv.
I had come to Plovdiv, an ancient and largely dilapidated city where a
hepatitis epidemic is currently raging, to investigate claims that human
trafficking is on the rise in Bulgaria, which secured terms last week to
join the European Union on January 1.
Foremost among the concerns of human rights activists is the suggestion
that scores or perhaps hundreds of Bulgarian babies are being sold for
adoption across Europe.
I posed as a childless woman looking for a fast and easy way to adopt a
baby. I said my husband was a banker and we were willing to pay....
click here for remaining article
Revealed: Bulgaria's baby traders
Nicola Smith Plovdiv
'Little Kalinka is yours for £11,000' – her grandmother
THE tiny baby slept snugly in the crook of her grandmother’s arm,
oblivious to the ghetto filth around her and to the squalid manner in
which she was being offered for sale.
The old woman may have held the infant gently, but her face was hard.
This, after all, was business.
“Her name is Kalinka — it means ladybird,” she said, passing the child
to me in a soft pink blanket that enveloped all of her except for a
pretty face of perfect serenity.
I cuddled Kalinka for a moment, feeling her warmth while the gleam of
avarice in her grandmother’s eyes chilled me.
“How much money do you want for this baby?” I asked.
“That is for her mother to negotiate. Come back at 5pm and we will wait
for you at that corner over there,” she said, pointing across the mud
road to a building as run down as any in the slums of Bulgaria’s second
city, Plovdiv.
I had come to Plovdiv, an ancient and largely dilapidated city where a
hepatitis epidemic is currently raging, to investigate claims that human
trafficking is on the rise in Bulgaria, which secured terms last week to
join the European Union on January 1.
Foremost among the concerns of human rights activists is the suggestion
that scores or perhaps hundreds of Bulgarian babies are being sold for
adoption across Europe.
I posed as a childless woman looking for a fast and easy way to adopt a
baby. I said my husband was a banker and we were willing to pay....
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In-laws refuse to accept adopted child
In-laws refuse to accept adopted child
Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for five years. During
that time, my in-laws have never accepted me.
Because of some minor health problems that could make pregnancy
difficult, my husband and I adopted a beautiful son from another
country. Although it was initially my idea, my husband agreed and loves
this child. His parents, however, have not and will not.
We recently had our son baptized. When my mother-in-law came for the
baptism, she walked around our house with her sunglasses on and didn't
speak to anyone. Our son tried to hug and touch his grandmother, and she
turned and walked away. She told us she could never accept this child.
A few weeks later, my in-laws wanted to stop by on their way to a
vacation. I told my husband that his father could come, but his mother
was not welcome in my house again. My husband's father told him, "Have a
nice life," and we haven't heard from them in two months....
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Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for five years. During
that time, my in-laws have never accepted me.
Because of some minor health problems that could make pregnancy
difficult, my husband and I adopted a beautiful son from another
country. Although it was initially my idea, my husband agreed and loves
this child. His parents, however, have not and will not.
We recently had our son baptized. When my mother-in-law came for the
baptism, she walked around our house with her sunglasses on and didn't
speak to anyone. Our son tried to hug and touch his grandmother, and she
turned and walked away. She told us she could never accept this child.
A few weeks later, my in-laws wanted to stop by on their way to a
vacation. I told my husband that his father could come, but his mother
was not welcome in my house again. My husband's father told him, "Have a
nice life," and we haven't heard from them in two months....
click here for remaining article
Adoption services firm investigated over missing funds
By MICHAEL PEARSON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitutio n
Published on: 10/03/06
Alpharetta police have opened a criminal investigation into allegations
an international adoption services company formerly headquartered in the
city may have misused $500,000 in fees paid by prospective parents.
The company, Amrex Inc., now operates out of offices in Atlanta and is
well-known in international adoption circles for providing overseas
legwork to stateside adoption agencies that help U.S. residents adopt
foreign-born children.
Alpharetta police opened the file on Amrex after the director of a
Woodstock adoption agency reported the company had not paid adoption
fees or refunded deposits paid by some prospective parents.
Genesis, the complaining adoption agency, was founded by Amrex CEO
Sergey Zasyatkin but recently severed ties with Amrex, according to
Genesis Executive Director Lindsay Kirk. She said she discovered the
problems shortly before Amrex filed for bankruptcy on Sept. 21.
Kirk's suspicion was piqued after a couple called to complain that a
Guatemalan attorney shepherding their adoption there called to ask for
the second half of their adoption fees. Genesis records showed the
couple had paid in full. Amrex should have paid those funds to officials
in Guatemala, Kirk said.
Kirk said she has no direct evidence of wrongdoing, but estimated as
much as $500,000 could be missing....
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitutio n
Published on: 10/03/06
Alpharetta police have opened a criminal investigation into allegations
an international adoption services company formerly headquartered in the
city may have misused $500,000 in fees paid by prospective parents.
The company, Amrex Inc., now operates out of offices in Atlanta and is
well-known in international adoption circles for providing overseas
legwork to stateside adoption agencies that help U.S. residents adopt
foreign-born children.
Alpharetta police opened the file on Amrex after the director of a
Woodstock adoption agency reported the company had not paid adoption
fees or refunded deposits paid by some prospective parents.
Genesis, the complaining adoption agency, was founded by Amrex CEO
Sergey Zasyatkin but recently severed ties with Amrex, according to
Genesis Executive Director Lindsay Kirk. She said she discovered the
problems shortly before Amrex filed for bankruptcy on Sept. 21.
Kirk's suspicion was piqued after a couple called to complain that a
Guatemalan attorney shepherding their adoption there called to ask for
the second half of their adoption fees. Genesis records showed the
couple had paid in full. Amrex should have paid those funds to officials
in Guatemala, Kirk said.
Kirk said she has no direct evidence of wrongdoing, but estimated as
much as $500,000 could be missing....
click here for remaining article
Jolie-Pitt Clan to Expand, another Adoption Ahead
By Alexander Toldt
19:52, October 17th 2008
When Angelina Jolie said that she and her husband, Brad Pitt, want to become the parents of a dozen children someday, she wasn’t kidding. The beautiful actress told "Today’s" show host Matt Lauer Thursday morning that she and her hubby decided to adopt another child.
My opinion is that the example given by the celebrity couple is more than welcomed. If a couple wants to have lots of babies it should make two ore three and adopt the rest. There are many lonely children out there that need the warmth of a family.
However, according to therapists, Jolie doesn’t adopt children because she wants to set an example. The 33-year-old "Changeling" star has an abandonment issue stemming from her childhood and through these adoptions she may be trying to fill the lack of completion in her life, psychologist Leslie Seppinni told the Daily News....
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19:52, October 17th 2008
When Angelina Jolie said that she and her husband, Brad Pitt, want to become the parents of a dozen children someday, she wasn’t kidding. The beautiful actress told "Today’s" show host Matt Lauer Thursday morning that she and her hubby decided to adopt another child.
My opinion is that the example given by the celebrity couple is more than welcomed. If a couple wants to have lots of babies it should make two ore three and adopt the rest. There are many lonely children out there that need the warmth of a family.
However, according to therapists, Jolie doesn’t adopt children because she wants to set an example. The 33-year-old "Changeling" star has an abandonment issue stemming from her childhood and through these adoptions she may be trying to fill the lack of completion in her life, psychologist Leslie Seppinni told the Daily News....
click here for remaining article
Mother’s attorney says she was afraid of adopted daughter
‘She felt like things were getting out of control’
By ANDRIA SIMMONS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Muriel O’Connell wanted to be certain her daughter, Brenda, would get no inheritance.
Worse still, she was deathly afraid of Brenda, whom she adopted from an Guatemalan orphanage. O’Connell confided her fears in a chilling conversation with her lawyer just two days before she was found dead in her Buford home on Aug. 6, 2006.
Brenda and her sister, Catherine, adopted separately from Guatemala, are accused of strangling their adoptive mother to death when they were 15 years old. The girls, both 17, face murder charges that could put them behind bars for life.
Christopher A. Ballar, the attorney handling O’Connell’s estate, testified Friday about his final conversation with her.
“The tone in her voice was just overwhelming,” Ballar said. “It’s just something that sticks with you.”
O’Connell told him she was so afraid of the girls, she had started locking her door at night. She suspected they had poisoned her vodka in recent weeks. She once awakened to find the girls lurking in her room, watching her sleep, Ballar said....
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By ANDRIA SIMMONS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Muriel O’Connell wanted to be certain her daughter, Brenda, would get no inheritance.
Worse still, she was deathly afraid of Brenda, whom she adopted from an Guatemalan orphanage. O’Connell confided her fears in a chilling conversation with her lawyer just two days before she was found dead in her Buford home on Aug. 6, 2006.
Brenda and her sister, Catherine, adopted separately from Guatemala, are accused of strangling their adoptive mother to death when they were 15 years old. The girls, both 17, face murder charges that could put them behind bars for life.
Christopher A. Ballar, the attorney handling O’Connell’s estate, testified Friday about his final conversation with her.
“The tone in her voice was just overwhelming,” Ballar said. “It’s just something that sticks with you.”
O’Connell told him she was so afraid of the girls, she had started locking her door at night. She suspected they had poisoned her vodka in recent weeks. She once awakened to find the girls lurking in her room, watching her sleep, Ballar said....
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No Winners in Samoan Adoption Scandal
Last updated 00:00 18/10/2008
Each November a family in the Samoan village of Faleasiu remembers the birthday of little Posi Iva, the six-year-old boy taken from them, and sold to an unwitting American family.
They are not alone in their grief.
At least 37 children from Samoa have allegedly been sold to Americans in an adoption scam that has led to heartache in both countries.
"We really want to see Posi, I miss my grandson," says 71-year-old Fatu Fuiono, who looks after his grandchildren while their parents work on their farm.
Looking at the sparse surroundings I can't imagine Posi's birthday is celebrated lavishly.
Posi is just one child taken from poor Samoan families and legally adopted by families in the US, who paid up to $US13,000 ($NZ21,500) to the now-defunct Focus on Children agency.
Couples who took more than two children were given a group discount, and paid only $US10,000 ($NZ16,500) for each child.
Children from newborns to teenagers were caught up in the alleged scam.
Authorities in the US have indicted seven people associated with Focus on Children on fraud charges connected to 37 of the adoptions between March 2002 and June 2005.
The accused could face up to 80 years' prison, and fines of up to $US2.25 million ($NZ3.7 million) if found guilty.
They are also facing charges including alien smuggling, visa fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
But the harshest penalties in the world aren't going to bring Posi back to his biological family....
click here for remaining article
Each November a family in the Samoan village of Faleasiu remembers the birthday of little Posi Iva, the six-year-old boy taken from them, and sold to an unwitting American family.
They are not alone in their grief.
At least 37 children from Samoa have allegedly been sold to Americans in an adoption scam that has led to heartache in both countries.
"We really want to see Posi, I miss my grandson," says 71-year-old Fatu Fuiono, who looks after his grandchildren while their parents work on their farm.
Looking at the sparse surroundings I can't imagine Posi's birthday is celebrated lavishly.
Posi is just one child taken from poor Samoan families and legally adopted by families in the US, who paid up to $US13,000 ($NZ21,500) to the now-defunct Focus on Children agency.
Couples who took more than two children were given a group discount, and paid only $US10,000 ($NZ16,500) for each child.
Children from newborns to teenagers were caught up in the alleged scam.
Authorities in the US have indicted seven people associated with Focus on Children on fraud charges connected to 37 of the adoptions between March 2002 and June 2005.
The accused could face up to 80 years' prison, and fines of up to $US2.25 million ($NZ3.7 million) if found guilty.
They are also facing charges including alien smuggling, visa fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
But the harshest penalties in the world aren't going to bring Posi back to his biological family....
click here for remaining article
Police shocks court with its lack of awareness
After a shocking case of child negligence came up, a district court ordered an inquiry into the matter and demanded an explanation, to which Delhi police replied with an equally shocking answer. The police seems to have forgotten the law itself.
TWO-YEAR-old Prateek lost his way to home in 2004. He was subsequently found by the police, who handed him over to an orphanage, with no standing. The orphanage illegally gave the child for adoption to an industrialist, who showered the boy with all that money can buy. This went on for four years, till, by a court’s order in March, the boy was reunited with his biological parents, who are not rich.
Prateek has settled in his new home, but not without asking why his previous life was taken away from him. His story had thrown up several issues that our lawmakers don’t take into account, while dealing with children — insensitivity and ignorance being cardinal among them. Prateek’s story has also brought to the fore the police’s helplessness, when they find an child abandoned on the streets, the subsequent role and decisions of orphanages and societies that have such children in their custody — because every wrong decision scars the child....
click here for remaining article
TWO-YEAR-old Prateek lost his way to home in 2004. He was subsequently found by the police, who handed him over to an orphanage, with no standing. The orphanage illegally gave the child for adoption to an industrialist, who showered the boy with all that money can buy. This went on for four years, till, by a court’s order in March, the boy was reunited with his biological parents, who are not rich.
Prateek has settled in his new home, but not without asking why his previous life was taken away from him. His story had thrown up several issues that our lawmakers don’t take into account, while dealing with children — insensitivity and ignorance being cardinal among them. Prateek’s story has also brought to the fore the police’s helplessness, when they find an child abandoned on the streets, the subsequent role and decisions of orphanages and societies that have such children in their custody — because every wrong decision scars the child....
click here for remaining article
Central American nation recruiting adoptive and foster parents internally
Guatemala seeks domestic fix to troubled overseas adoptions
Central American nation recruiting adoptive and foster parents internally
By Oscar Avila
October 26, 2008
VILLA NUEVA, Guatemala — At church on Sundays, Juliana Tocay fibs and introduces 3-year-old Katerin as her daughter. The truth is too complicated to explain.
Tocay is Katerin’s foster mother, making her family part of a much-watched test of whether this Central American nation can take care of its own needy children.
After essentially closing off the pipeline that sent nearly 5,000 children for adoptions in the U.S. last year, Guatemala has launched an ambitious campaign to recruit foster parents and even adoptive parents at home.
Only a few dozen families are participating and, as Tocay’s experience illustrates, it will be a tall order to change the culture of a country that typically views only biological children as true members of the family....
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Central American nation recruiting adoptive and foster parents internally
By Oscar Avila
October 26, 2008
VILLA NUEVA, Guatemala — At church on Sundays, Juliana Tocay fibs and introduces 3-year-old Katerin as her daughter. The truth is too complicated to explain.
Tocay is Katerin’s foster mother, making her family part of a much-watched test of whether this Central American nation can take care of its own needy children.
After essentially closing off the pipeline that sent nearly 5,000 children for adoptions in the U.S. last year, Guatemala has launched an ambitious campaign to recruit foster parents and even adoptive parents at home.
Only a few dozen families are participating and, as Tocay’s experience illustrates, it will be a tall order to change the culture of a country that typically views only biological children as true members of the family....
click here for remaining article
Anti-Adoption Opinions
Anti-Adoption Opinions
Knowing what those who oppose adoption have to say is part of knowing
about adoption. Read anti-adoption opinions, documents, and personal
experiences.
Abolish Adoption
A strong anti-adoption stance from Lori Carangelo. The site includes
excerpts of her writings, statistics, search information, and
alternatives to adoption.
Adoption : Legalized Lies
The goal of this group is to outlaw all adoption, and provide a focus
for those hurt by adoption. Home of the Anti-Adoption Mailing List.
"Birth" Mothers Exploited by Adoption
"Natural mothers ('birthmothers' ) exploited by the adoption industry,
telling the truth about our loss and grief, and the forced/coerced
surrender of our babies."
"Opening Pandora's Box"
German-born adoptee and author, Peter F. Dodds, believes that
international adoption causes more harm than good to the children
involved.
click here for website
Knowing what those who oppose adoption have to say is part of knowing
about adoption. Read anti-adoption opinions, documents, and personal
experiences.
Abolish Adoption
A strong anti-adoption stance from Lori Carangelo. The site includes
excerpts of her writings, statistics, search information, and
alternatives to adoption.
Adoption : Legalized Lies
The goal of this group is to outlaw all adoption, and provide a focus
for those hurt by adoption. Home of the Anti-Adoption Mailing List.
"Birth" Mothers Exploited by Adoption
"Natural mothers ('birthmothers' ) exploited by the adoption industry,
telling the truth about our loss and grief, and the forced/coerced
surrender of our babies."
"Opening Pandora's Box"
German-born adoptee and author, Peter F. Dodds, believes that
international adoption causes more harm than good to the children
involved.
click here for website
The Lie We Love
November/December 2008
Foreign adoption seems like the perfect solution to a heartbreaking imbalance: Poor countries have babies in need of homes, and rich countries have homes in need of babies. Unfortunately, those little orphaned bundles of joy may not be orphans at all.
We all know the story of international adoption: Millions of infants and toddlers have been abandoned or orphaned—placed on the side of a road or on the doorstep of a church, or left parentless due to AIDS, destitution, or war. These little ones find themselves forgotten, living in crowded orphanages or ending up on the streets, facing an uncertain future of misery and neglect. But, if they are lucky, adoring new moms and dads from faraway lands whisk them away for a chance at a better life.
Unfortunately, this story is largely fiction.
Westerners have been sold the myth of a world orphan crisis. We are told that millions of children are waiting for their “forever families” to rescue them from lives of abandonment and abuse. But many of the infants and toddlers being adopted by Western parents today are not orphans at all. Yes, hundreds of thousands of children around the world do need loving homes. But more often than not, the neediest children are sick, disabled, traumatized, or older than 5. They are not the healthy babies that, quite understandably, most Westerners hope to adopt. There are simply not enough healthy, adoptable infants to meet Western demand—and there’s too much Western money in search of children. As a result, many international adoption agencies work not to find homes for needy children but to find children for Western homes.
Since the mid-1990s, the number of international adoptions each year has nearly doubled, from 22,200 in 1995 to just under 40,000 in 2006. At its peak, in 2004, more than 45,000 children from developing countries were adopted by foreigners. Americans bring home more of these children than any other nationality—more than half the global total in recent years.
Where do these babies come from? As international adoptions have flourished, so has evidence that babies in many countries are being systematically bought, coerced, and stolen away from their birth families. Nearly half the 40 countries listed by the U.S. State Department as the top sources for international adoption over the past 15 years—places such as Belarus, Brazil, Ethiopia, Honduras, Peru, and Romania—have at least temporarily halted adoptions or been prevented from sending children to the United States because of serious concerns about corruption and kidnapping. And yet when a country is closed due to corruption, many adoption agencies simply transfer their clients’ hopes to the next “hot” country. That country abruptly experiences a spike in infants and toddlers adopted overseas—until it too is forced to shut its doors.
Along the way, the international adoption industry has become a market often driven by its customers. Prospective adoptive parents in the United States will pay adoption agencies between $15,000 and $35,000 (excluding travel, visa costs, and other miscellaneous expenses) for the chance to bring home a little one. Special needs or older children can be adopted at a discount. Agencies claim the costs pay for the agency’s fee, the cost of foreign salaries and operations, staff travel, and orphanage donations. But experts say the fees are so disproportionately large for the child’s home country that they encourage corruption....
click here for remaining article
Foreign adoption seems like the perfect solution to a heartbreaking imbalance: Poor countries have babies in need of homes, and rich countries have homes in need of babies. Unfortunately, those little orphaned bundles of joy may not be orphans at all.
We all know the story of international adoption: Millions of infants and toddlers have been abandoned or orphaned—placed on the side of a road or on the doorstep of a church, or left parentless due to AIDS, destitution, or war. These little ones find themselves forgotten, living in crowded orphanages or ending up on the streets, facing an uncertain future of misery and neglect. But, if they are lucky, adoring new moms and dads from faraway lands whisk them away for a chance at a better life.
Unfortunately, this story is largely fiction.
Westerners have been sold the myth of a world orphan crisis. We are told that millions of children are waiting for their “forever families” to rescue them from lives of abandonment and abuse. But many of the infants and toddlers being adopted by Western parents today are not orphans at all. Yes, hundreds of thousands of children around the world do need loving homes. But more often than not, the neediest children are sick, disabled, traumatized, or older than 5. They are not the healthy babies that, quite understandably, most Westerners hope to adopt. There are simply not enough healthy, adoptable infants to meet Western demand—and there’s too much Western money in search of children. As a result, many international adoption agencies work not to find homes for needy children but to find children for Western homes.
Since the mid-1990s, the number of international adoptions each year has nearly doubled, from 22,200 in 1995 to just under 40,000 in 2006. At its peak, in 2004, more than 45,000 children from developing countries were adopted by foreigners. Americans bring home more of these children than any other nationality—more than half the global total in recent years.
Where do these babies come from? As international adoptions have flourished, so has evidence that babies in many countries are being systematically bought, coerced, and stolen away from their birth families. Nearly half the 40 countries listed by the U.S. State Department as the top sources for international adoption over the past 15 years—places such as Belarus, Brazil, Ethiopia, Honduras, Peru, and Romania—have at least temporarily halted adoptions or been prevented from sending children to the United States because of serious concerns about corruption and kidnapping. And yet when a country is closed due to corruption, many adoption agencies simply transfer their clients’ hopes to the next “hot” country. That country abruptly experiences a spike in infants and toddlers adopted overseas—until it too is forced to shut its doors.
Along the way, the international adoption industry has become a market often driven by its customers. Prospective adoptive parents in the United States will pay adoption agencies between $15,000 and $35,000 (excluding travel, visa costs, and other miscellaneous expenses) for the chance to bring home a little one. Special needs or older children can be adopted at a discount. Agencies claim the costs pay for the agency’s fee, the cost of foreign salaries and operations, staff travel, and orphanage donations. But experts say the fees are so disproportionately large for the child’s home country that they encourage corruption....
click here for remaining article
A stranger in her own skin
From babies shipped in boxes to Angelina Jolie's growing brood, the history of international adoption follows chaos and calamity around the world
Kelly Cryderman, Calgary Herald
Published: Tuesday, November 11, 2008
MiRyung Pang describes her childhood as "healthy and happy," even if it took her a long time to feel comfortable in her own skin.
Adopted in 1975 when she was just five -- one of the early international adoptees in Canada -- Pang has no memories from her native Korea. Her adoptive mother, a single teacher in Toronto, did not expose her to Korean culture as she grew up.
Pang grew up mostly around whites, felt self-conscious about her "own skin and own eyes," and suffered an identity crisis in her late teens that left her feeling suicidal.
Until she was an adult, Pang didn't like spending time with other Asians.
"I thought they talked loudly and just weren't good people," she said. "I didn't want other people to think I hung out with them."...
click here for remaining article
Kelly Cryderman, Calgary Herald
Published: Tuesday, November 11, 2008
MiRyung Pang describes her childhood as "healthy and happy," even if it took her a long time to feel comfortable in her own skin.
Adopted in 1975 when she was just five -- one of the early international adoptees in Canada -- Pang has no memories from her native Korea. Her adoptive mother, a single teacher in Toronto, did not expose her to Korean culture as she grew up.
Pang grew up mostly around whites, felt self-conscious about her "own skin and own eyes," and suffered an identity crisis in her late teens that left her feeling suicidal.
Until she was an adult, Pang didn't like spending time with other Asians.
"I thought they talked loudly and just weren't good people," she said. "I didn't want other people to think I hung out with them."...
click here for remaining article
Babies bred for sale in
Sunday,
November 16, 2008 | Nigeria
Social
»
ENUGU (Nigeria): Neighbours were suspicious of the daytime silence at the
maternity clinic that came to life only after nightfall, though never
suspected its disquieting secret – it was breeding babies for sale.
But recent police raids have revealed an alleged network of such clinics,
dubbed baby "farms" or "factories" in the local press, forcing a new look at
the scope of people trafficking in Nigeria.
At the hospital in Enugu, a large city in Nigeria's southeast, 20 teenage
girls were rescued in May in a police swoop on what was believed to be one
of the largest infant trafficking rings in the west African country....
False DNA leads to heartbreak for adoptive parents
....FRAUD EXPOSED
Guatemala's quick adoptions made the nation of 13 million the world's
second largest source of babies to the U.S. after China. But last year
the industry was closed down, starting with an August 2007 raid on
what had been considered one of the country's most reputable adoption
agencies.
Voluminous fraud has been exposed since then -- false paperwork, fake
birth certificates, women coerced into giving up their children and
even baby theft. At least 25 cases resulted in criminal charges
against doctors, lawyers, mothers and civil registrars.
Thousands of adoptions, including that of the Hemsleys, were put on
hold until this year, when the newly formed National Adoptions Council
began requiring birth mothers to personally verify they still wanted
to give up their children. Of 3,032 pending cases, nearly 1,000 were
dismissed because no birth mother showed up.
Prosecutors suspect many of the babies in these cases never existed --
that Guatemalan baby brokers registered false identities with the
council in hopes of matching them later to babies obtained through
fraud....
click here for remaining article
Guatemala's quick adoptions made the nation of 13 million the world's
second largest source of babies to the U.S. after China. But last year
the industry was closed down, starting with an August 2007 raid on
what had been considered one of the country's most reputable adoption
agencies.
Voluminous fraud has been exposed since then -- false paperwork, fake
birth certificates, women coerced into giving up their children and
even baby theft. At least 25 cases resulted in criminal charges
against doctors, lawyers, mothers and civil registrars.
Thousands of adoptions, including that of the Hemsleys, were put on
hold until this year, when the newly formed National Adoptions Council
began requiring birth mothers to personally verify they still wanted
to give up their children. Of 3,032 pending cases, nearly 1,000 were
dismissed because no birth mother showed up.
Prosecutors suspect many of the babies in these cases never existed --
that Guatemalan baby brokers registered false identities with the
council in hopes of matching them later to babies obtained through
fraud....
click here for remaining article
To save adopted girl, U.S. couple gives her up
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Jennifer and Todd Hemsley had to give up their child to save her.
Like thousands of other would-be parents, the California couple made a $15,500 down payment to a U.S. agency that guaranteed quick, hassle-free adoptions of Guatemalan babies. And like the others, they were caught in a bureaucratic limbo after Guatemala began cracking down on systemic fraud last year.
Many Americans with pending adoptions lobbied hard for quick approval of their cases, trying to bypass a new system designed to prevent identity fraud and the sale or even theft of children to feed Guatemala's $100 million adoption business.
But Jennifer Hemsley did what Guatemala's new National Adoptions Council says no other American has done this year: She refused to look the other way when she suspected her would-be daughter's identity and DNA samples were faked....
click here for remaining article
Like thousands of other would-be parents, the California couple made a $15,500 down payment to a U.S. agency that guaranteed quick, hassle-free adoptions of Guatemalan babies. And like the others, they were caught in a bureaucratic limbo after Guatemala began cracking down on systemic fraud last year.
Many Americans with pending adoptions lobbied hard for quick approval of their cases, trying to bypass a new system designed to prevent identity fraud and the sale or even theft of children to feed Guatemala's $100 million adoption business.
But Jennifer Hemsley did what Guatemala's new National Adoptions Council says no other American has done this year: She refused to look the other way when she suspected her would-be daughter's identity and DNA samples were faked....
click here for remaining article
Prison sentences in Hungarian "pay adoption" cases
Prison sentences in Hungarian "pay adoption" cases
By: MTI
2008-11-24 08:29
A Budapest district court handed out sentences on Friday to birth and
adoptive parents who administered the adoption of two children in
which money changed hands.
The parents were charged with human trafficking.
The birth parents, who were not first time offenders, received a
million forints for their now eight-year-old son and a used car for
their now six-year-old son.
They were given prison sentences of two years and two to eight months,
while the adoptive father was also sentenced to a year in prison, and
the adoptive mother received a suspended prison sentence.
The adoptive father's mother was also found guilty for mediating the
money/child exchange....
click here for remaining article
By: MTI
2008-11-24 08:29
A Budapest district court handed out sentences on Friday to birth and
adoptive parents who administered the adoption of two children in
which money changed hands.
The parents were charged with human trafficking.
The birth parents, who were not first time offenders, received a
million forints for their now eight-year-old son and a used car for
their now six-year-old son.
They were given prison sentences of two years and two to eight months,
while the adoptive father was also sentenced to a year in prison, and
the adoptive mother received a suspended prison sentence.
The adoptive father's mother was also found guilty for mediating the
money/child exchange....
click here for remaining article
Hague regulations slow international adoptions
Hague regulations slow international adoptions
BY NOEL E. OMAN
Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008
Donna Baslee of Bella Vista knows firsthand how difficult and complex
it is to adopt foreign-born children.
She has adopted two boys from Guatemala. Just as each child is
different, so was each adoption in Baslee's case.
The adoption of her son Gabriel was, in her words, "picture-perfect,
taking exactly six months from start to finish." Gabriel's adoption
was completed two weeks before Christmas a year ago.
Baslee began the process to adopt Gabriel after her efforts to adopt
another child, whom she named Logan, turned into a "nightmare." By the
time she had adopted Gabriel, her effort to adopt Logan had lasted
nearly a year and a half.
Baslee's experience came as the adoption of foreign-born children has
declined in the United States.
Nationally, international adoptions fell to 17, 438 in the fiscal year
that ended Sept. 30 from 19, 613 in fiscal year 2007, a drop of 11
percent, according to the Office of Children's Issues at the U. S.
State Department. It was the lowest number of adoptions in nearly a
decade and far below the peak of 22, 884 adoptions reached in 2004....
click here for remaining article
BY NOEL E. OMAN
Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008
Donna Baslee of Bella Vista knows firsthand how difficult and complex
it is to adopt foreign-born children.
She has adopted two boys from Guatemala. Just as each child is
different, so was each adoption in Baslee's case.
The adoption of her son Gabriel was, in her words, "picture-perfect,
taking exactly six months from start to finish." Gabriel's adoption
was completed two weeks before Christmas a year ago.
Baslee began the process to adopt Gabriel after her efforts to adopt
another child, whom she named Logan, turned into a "nightmare." By the
time she had adopted Gabriel, her effort to adopt Logan had lasted
nearly a year and a half.
Baslee's experience came as the adoption of foreign-born children has
declined in the United States.
Nationally, international adoptions fell to 17, 438 in the fiscal year
that ended Sept. 30 from 19, 613 in fiscal year 2007, a drop of 11
percent, according to the Office of Children's Issues at the U. S.
State Department. It was the lowest number of adoptions in nearly a
decade and far below the peak of 22, 884 adoptions reached in 2004....
click here for remaining article
'We lived on hope and promises'
By Murray Cox
BBC News
"We left under the assumption we would see our parents again in a few
months."
Rolf Penzias, now 86, is one of about 10,000 child refugees - mostly
Jewish - who were sent without their parents out of Austria, Germany,
Poland and Czechoslovakia to foster families and hostels in Britain.
The operation to evacuate the children on the eve of WWII became known
as Kindertransport, and the 70th anniversary of parliament passing the
legislation behind it is being marked on Sunday in London.
Mr Penzias said: "I was born in Munich and I was 16 when I left with
my brother who was 14....
click here for remaining article
BBC News
"We left under the assumption we would see our parents again in a few
months."
Rolf Penzias, now 86, is one of about 10,000 child refugees - mostly
Jewish - who were sent without their parents out of Austria, Germany,
Poland and Czechoslovakia to foster families and hostels in Britain.
The operation to evacuate the children on the eve of WWII became known
as Kindertransport, and the 70th anniversary of parliament passing the
legislation behind it is being marked on Sunday in London.
Mr Penzias said: "I was born in Munich and I was 16 when I left with
my brother who was 14....
click here for remaining article
Minnesota Korean adoptee finds birth mother after decade long search
Minnesota Korean adoptee finds birth mother after decade long search
Minnesota is home to thousands of Korean adoptees. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS
followed one them, Jon Huston, on his amazing journey to find his
birth mother.
Huston and his wife, Carrie, live in Buffalo, Minnesota where they
both grew up. But that is not where his life story began.
Huston's biological father was an American soldier who met his
biological mother in Korea. His father later died in the Vietnam War.
His mother was too poor to raise him. 37-years ago, when Jon was
6-years-old, she decided to give her only child up for adoption.
"It had to have been the hardest decision she had to ever make," said Huston.
He was adopted in 1971 by a Minnesota family. The state has since
become home to 13,000 Korean adoptees. That is the most in any one
place in the world....
click here for remaining article
Minnesota is home to thousands of Korean adoptees. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS
followed one them, Jon Huston, on his amazing journey to find his
birth mother.
Huston and his wife, Carrie, live in Buffalo, Minnesota where they
both grew up. But that is not where his life story began.
Huston's biological father was an American soldier who met his
biological mother in Korea. His father later died in the Vietnam War.
His mother was too poor to raise him. 37-years ago, when Jon was
6-years-old, she decided to give her only child up for adoption.
"It had to have been the hardest decision she had to ever make," said Huston.
He was adopted in 1971 by a Minnesota family. The state has since
become home to 13,000 Korean adoptees. That is the most in any one
place in the world....
click here for remaining article
Pound Pup Legacy
Pound Pup Legacy an international group that documents and discusses
the many effects child placement and child abuse have on an individual
and on society.
PPL's mission is to become a recognized voice in future decisions
regarding child placement, through international networking with
organizations and persons that:
contribute to family preservation practice;
research consequences of child placement and abuse;
investigate the economy behind child placement;
support the needs of those affected by child placement and child abuse;
advocate all adopted and foster-cared voices that have otherwise gone unheard.
Bringing together experience and expertise, PPL wishes to assist
children of all ages, so family preservation can become a reality and
adoption becomes the very last option anyone would have to consider in
the future.
http://poundpuplegacy.org/
the many effects child placement and child abuse have on an individual
and on society.
PPL's mission is to become a recognized voice in future decisions
regarding child placement, through international networking with
organizations and persons that:
contribute to family preservation practice;
research consequences of child placement and abuse;
investigate the economy behind child placement;
support the needs of those affected by child placement and child abuse;
advocate all adopted and foster-cared voices that have otherwise gone unheard.
Bringing together experience and expertise, PPL wishes to assist
children of all ages, so family preservation can become a reality and
adoption becomes the very last option anyone would have to consider in
the future.
http://poundpuplegacy.org/
Random stuff: "This I Used to Believe," false international adoption
...."The Lie We Love" by E. J. Graff, from Foreign Policy - a
heartbreaking article about international adoption. Many adopted
children are not orphans. Many have been kidnapped, stolen or
purchased from their birth families. Some excerpts:
As international adoptions have flourished, so has evidence that
babies in many countries are being systematically bought, coerced, and
stolen away from their birth families. Nearly half the 40 countries
listed by the U.S. State Department as the top sources for
international adoption over the past 15 years—places such as Belarus,
Brazil, Ethiopia, Honduras, Peru, and Romania—have at least
temporarily halted adoptions or been prevented from sending children
to the United States because of serious concerns about corruption and
kidnapping.
In reality, there are very few young, healthy orphans available
for adoption around the world. Orphans are rarely healthy babies;
healthy babies are rarely orphaned. “It’s not really true,” says
Alexandra Yuster, a senior advisor on child protection with UNICEF,
“that there are large numbers of infants with no homes who either will
be in institutions or who need intercountry adoption.” ....
http://thesuburbanchristian.blogspot.com/2009/04/random-stuff-this-i-used-to-believe.html
heartbreaking article about international adoption. Many adopted
children are not orphans. Many have been kidnapped, stolen or
purchased from their birth families. Some excerpts:
As international adoptions have flourished, so has evidence that
babies in many countries are being systematically bought, coerced, and
stolen away from their birth families. Nearly half the 40 countries
listed by the U.S. State Department as the top sources for
international adoption over the past 15 years—places such as Belarus,
Brazil, Ethiopia, Honduras, Peru, and Romania—have at least
temporarily halted adoptions or been prevented from sending children
to the United States because of serious concerns about corruption and
kidnapping.
In reality, there are very few young, healthy orphans available
for adoption around the world. Orphans are rarely healthy babies;
healthy babies are rarely orphaned. “It’s not really true,” says
Alexandra Yuster, a senior advisor on child protection with UNICEF,
“that there are large numbers of infants with no homes who either will
be in institutions or who need intercountry adoption.” ....
http://thesuburbanchristian.blogspot.com/2009/04/random-stuff-this-i-used-to-believe.html
Why is it that adoption agency's only focus on the promotion of adoption…?
and not the negative affects of it?
I've been reading article after article written by agency's, Aps, and
pro adoption organizations and the focus is pretty much on the
positive? aspects based on "perception" and not scientific research.
If adoption is about the welfare of children wouldn't it be wise to
look at all the affects adoption has on children..good and bad instead
of just focusing on the positive and dismissing the negative?
It appears that most scientific research being done on the negative
affects have been done by sources not affiliated with promoting
adoption. Why aren't Aps insisting that adoption related organizations
push for more studies to be done?
How can anyone adopting in this day and age, say that they are
adopting in the best interest of children when they don't bother or
could care less about the negative affects it will have on the
children?...
click here for remaining article
I've been reading article after article written by agency's, Aps, and
pro adoption organizations and the focus is pretty much on the
positive? aspects based on "perception" and not scientific research.
If adoption is about the welfare of children wouldn't it be wise to
look at all the affects adoption has on children..good and bad instead
of just focusing on the positive and dismissing the negative?
It appears that most scientific research being done on the negative
affects have been done by sources not affiliated with promoting
adoption. Why aren't Aps insisting that adoption related organizations
push for more studies to be done?
How can anyone adopting in this day and age, say that they are
adopting in the best interest of children when they don't bother or
could care less about the negative affects it will have on the
children?...
click here for remaining article
Dad To Madonna: Don't Adopt My Girl
Dad To Madonna: Don't Adopt My Girl
In "Early Show" World Exclusive, Malawian Man Thought To Be Her Father
Explains His Reasons For Opposing The Move
May 2, 2009James Kambewa, believed to be the biological father of
Mercy James, explains to
James Kambewa, believed to be biological father of "Mercy" James,
explains to correspondent Priya David why he does not want Madonna to
adopt his child. (CBS)
(CBS/ AP) The Malawian man thought to be the biological father of a
four-year-old girl Madonna hopes to adopt says he's opposed to it.
The pop superstar's appeal of a judge's decision rejecting her attempt
to adopt Chifundo "Mercy" James is slated to be heard Monday,
reportedly by Lovemore Munlo, the Chief Justice of the poor southern
African nation.
In an Early Show world exclusive, James Kambewa tells correspondent
Priya David, "I want to take care of her and I'm capable to take care
of my baby. ... Mercy, she is a Malawian -- so (I) need her to grow as
a Malawian, as well with our culture."
click here for remaining article
In "Early Show" World Exclusive, Malawian Man Thought To Be Her Father
Explains His Reasons For Opposing The Move
May 2, 2009James Kambewa, believed to be the biological father of
Mercy James, explains to
James Kambewa, believed to be biological father of "Mercy" James,
explains to correspondent Priya David why he does not want Madonna to
adopt his child. (CBS)
(CBS/ AP) The Malawian man thought to be the biological father of a
four-year-old girl Madonna hopes to adopt says he's opposed to it.
The pop superstar's appeal of a judge's decision rejecting her attempt
to adopt Chifundo "Mercy" James is slated to be heard Monday,
reportedly by Lovemore Munlo, the Chief Justice of the poor southern
African nation.
In an Early Show world exclusive, James Kambewa tells correspondent
Priya David, "I want to take care of her and I'm capable to take care
of my baby. ... Mercy, she is a Malawian -- so (I) need her to grow as
a Malawian, as well with our culture."
click here for remaining article
Adoption Facts & Abuse
This page deals with adoption in terms of it being abusive towards
mothers and adoptees. Adoption is a form of child abuse.
Adoption is child abuse, slavery and rape all combined into one pretty
package and marketed to wealthy infertile couples.
Adoption is deemed a "loving option" by social workers and adoption
agencies. Adoption puts children at risk for many psychological
problems that range in severity. This may sound like love to those
receiving the money within the adoption industry, but it should scream
child abuse to anyone else. Since the 1940s professionals have known
of the damaging affects adoption has on both mothers and their
children. Psychologists and social workers have learned that no
material advantage can make up for the loss of its own mother.
The abuse that the adoptee suffers thoughout their lives comes in many
forms. As infants, they are separated from the only person they have
ever known: their mothers. They are born into the world expecting to
have the familiar scent of family and the warm voice they grew
accustomed to in utero, and instead, they are handed over to strangers
masquarating as "mommy" and "daddy." Because of the severing of the
child's most natural bond occurs at a time when the child cannot
communicate his emotions and experiences, it is a trauma that will
stay with him into adulthood. Adopted people report to struggle with
their identities as the legal lie that they are "as if born to" their
adopters works better on paper than it does in the real world....
click here for remaining article
mothers and adoptees. Adoption is a form of child abuse.
Adoption is child abuse, slavery and rape all combined into one pretty
package and marketed to wealthy infertile couples.
Adoption is deemed a "loving option" by social workers and adoption
agencies. Adoption puts children at risk for many psychological
problems that range in severity. This may sound like love to those
receiving the money within the adoption industry, but it should scream
child abuse to anyone else. Since the 1940s professionals have known
of the damaging affects adoption has on both mothers and their
children. Psychologists and social workers have learned that no
material advantage can make up for the loss of its own mother.
The abuse that the adoptee suffers thoughout their lives comes in many
forms. As infants, they are separated from the only person they have
ever known: their mothers. They are born into the world expecting to
have the familiar scent of family and the warm voice they grew
accustomed to in utero, and instead, they are handed over to strangers
masquarating as "mommy" and "daddy." Because of the severing of the
child's most natural bond occurs at a time when the child cannot
communicate his emotions and experiences, it is a trauma that will
stay with him into adulthood. Adopted people report to struggle with
their identities as the legal lie that they are "as if born to" their
adopters works better on paper than it does in the real world....
click here for remaining article
Fewer Kids Left Behind In China Means Fewer Kids For American Adopters
By Megan, 5:30 PM on Wed Apr 29 2009,
It used to be that China opened its arms and orphanages to Americans seeking to adopt Chinese girls. These days, it's more difficult — and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Some things are bad, though, like this:
The new regulations require, among other things, that adoptive parents be married, under 50, not classified as clinically obese, not have taken antidepressant medications....
for remaining article go to click here
It used to be that China opened its arms and orphanages to Americans seeking to adopt Chinese girls. These days, it's more difficult — and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Some things are bad, though, like this:
The new regulations require, among other things, that adoptive parents be married, under 50, not classified as clinically obese, not have taken antidepressant medications....
for remaining article go to click here
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