AAP
An indigenous elder is pleading with Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles to scrap plans to address Aboriginal child neglect via forced adoptions.
Mr Giles has warned that Aboriginal children are being left with neglectful parents for fear of creating another stolen generation.
The first indigenous head of government in Australia has flagged placing Aboriginal kids in adopted homes if their parents don't take responsibility for them.
But in a letter obtained by AAP, elder Djiniyini Gondarra, who represents 8000 Yolngu people of east Arnhem Land, urges Mr Giles to have a rethink.
"We vehemently oppose your proposed policy to take away our children and give them up for adoption," Dr Gondarra writes.
"We already live under such heavy control, with no respect. This will paralyse our people."
There is an urgent need for more family support programs in indigenous communities, Dr Gondarra adds.
"We need your help to do this, not your punishment and more pain for our people."
Dr Gondarra writes that the healing process since the federal government's 2008 apology to the stolen generations would be ruined if forced adoptions were reintroduced.
"What you now propose to do is to tear open the bandages and cut us again," he says.
Community dysfunction is caused by decades of poverty and further exacerbated by the disempowering policies of the federal and NT governments, Dr Gondarra says.
He disputes Mr Giles's claim that only one child has been taken away and given up for adoption in the Northern Territory in the past 10 years.
About 60 children are being taken away every month by child protection services, he says.
"Children are being taken away from us at numbers not seen since the stolen generations."
The Yolngu child has a spirituality, "skin", culture, language and a place in the community.
"You are committing a deep wrong by taking that away," he tells Mr Giles.
Dr Gondarra's community supports kinship-care placements and direct negotiation and resolution with parents, extended family and clan leaders.
Source of Article:
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/elder-slams-nt-forced-adoption-plan-20130520-2jw5t.html
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Korean-Australian woman finds she was falsely adopted
An Australian woman has found she was the subject of a falsified adoption in South Korea, where her biological mother was told her baby was stillborn.
As Australians find it harder to adopt babies from overseas, one woman has discovered she was falsely adopted from South Korea, where her biological mother was told her baby was stillborn.
Emily Will* was pronounced dead at birth. Born in a small maternity home in the South Korean countryside, the midwife allegedly told her biological parents the baby was “stillborn”.
“I don’t know how this could have happened to me,” she says. “Why would someone (the midwife) do that? Why would someone make a choice for someone else?”
“Her decision changed my life.”
For 23 years, Ms Will believed she was put up for adoption after her biological parents decided to part ways. Her adoption papers said her parents were in a de facto relationship, a status considered shameful in traditional Korean society, with two daughters.
It was not until she became a mother herself, Ms Will became curious about her biological roots.
“After my daughter was born, something changed. Something changed in me,” she says.
“I didn’t know my medical history. I didn’t know what I could have passed on to my kid. I didn’t know if there were any genetic heart diseases. Nothing.”
EMOTIONAL REUNION
After three years of searching and waiting, Ms Will thought she was prepared to meet her biological parents.
“It’s well known that you may possibly or most probably have a false story given to you so you brace yourself,” says Ms Will, 24, a mother of two in Sydney. “But when you finally get the real story, the story you thought you had prepared yourself for… it definitely throws you.”
“Adoption should not be treated as a retail industry. It’s not an exporting importing thing. We’re human beings. We’re not products. We’re not for sale. You can’t put a price on a human life,” Ms Will says.
* Names have been changed for privacy reasons
Source of article http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1693349/Korean-Australian-woman-finds-she-was-falsely-adop
As Australians find it harder to adopt babies from overseas, one woman has discovered she was falsely adopted from South Korea, where her biological mother was told her baby was stillborn.
Emily Will* was pronounced dead at birth. Born in a small maternity home in the South Korean countryside, the midwife allegedly told her biological parents the baby was “stillborn”.
“I don’t know how this could have happened to me,” she says. “Why would someone (the midwife) do that? Why would someone make a choice for someone else?”
“Her decision changed my life.”
For 23 years, Ms Will believed she was put up for adoption after her biological parents decided to part ways. Her adoption papers said her parents were in a de facto relationship, a status considered shameful in traditional Korean society, with two daughters.
It was not until she became a mother herself, Ms Will became curious about her biological roots.
“After my daughter was born, something changed. Something changed in me,” she says.
“I didn’t know my medical history. I didn’t know what I could have passed on to my kid. I didn’t know if there were any genetic heart diseases. Nothing.”
EMOTIONAL REUNION
After three years of searching and waiting, Ms Will thought she was prepared to meet her biological parents.
“It’s well known that you may possibly or most probably have a false story given to you so you brace yourself,” says Ms Will, 24, a mother of two in Sydney. “But when you finally get the real story, the story you thought you had prepared yourself for… it definitely throws you.”
“Adoption should not be treated as a retail industry. It’s not an exporting importing thing. We’re human beings. We’re not products. We’re not for sale. You can’t put a price on a human life,” Ms Will says.
* Names have been changed for privacy reasons
Source of article http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1693349/Korean-Australian-woman-finds-she-was-falsely-adop
The Lost Souls
A trailer to the Movie: The Lost Souls.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwrca7DKX8I&feature=sharehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwrca7DKX8I&feature=share
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwrca7DKX8I&feature=sharehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwrca7DKX8I&feature=share
Stepfather admits handcuffing Howes, denies abuse
UNION leader Paul Howes' former stepfather revealed he handcuffed the Labor figure to a chair when he was eight years old but denied he was abusive.
Gary Howes, a former NSW police officer, has told The Sunday Telegraph he is suing his former stepson and Women's Weekly for defamation over an article titled "My gut-wrenching adoption secret".
The profile detailed Paul Howes' troubled childhood that led to him becoming homeless at the age of 14.
His estranged stepfather confirmed he was carrying a gun when he handcuffed Mr Howes as a child.
"I did handcuff him," Gary Howes said. "He was going to run so I handcuffed him to a chair. I didn't trust my own anger. I had a gun in my hand. I was a policeman and I was on duty and I had a gun."
For remaining story: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/stepfather-admits-handcuffing-howes-denies-abuse/story-e6freuy9-1226489830026
Gary Howes, a former NSW police officer, has told The Sunday Telegraph he is suing his former stepson and Women's Weekly for defamation over an article titled "My gut-wrenching adoption secret".
The profile detailed Paul Howes' troubled childhood that led to him becoming homeless at the age of 14.
His estranged stepfather confirmed he was carrying a gun when he handcuffed Mr Howes as a child.
"I did handcuff him," Gary Howes said. "He was going to run so I handcuffed him to a chair. I didn't trust my own anger. I had a gun in my hand. I was a policeman and I was on duty and I had a gun."
For remaining story: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/stepfather-admits-handcuffing-howes-denies-abuse/story-e6freuy9-1226489830026
Adopted or abducted?
Most women describe giving birth to a child as a life changing experience – in a word – “challenging”, “joyous”, “miraculous.” But generations of young, unwed women describe their experience of giving birth to a child as a nightmare – and decades later their suffering has yet to end.
From Australia to Spain, Ireland to America, and as recent as 1987, young mothers say they were “coerced”, “manipulated”, and “duped” into handing over their babies for adoption. These women say sometimes their parents forged consent documents, but more often they say these forced adoptions were coordinated by the people their families trusted most...priests, nuns, social workers, nurses or doctors.
Last month, a Dan Rather Reports producer and crew were in Canberra, Australia as Parliament released the findings of an 18-month-long investigation revealing illegal and unethical tactics used to convince young, unmarried mothers to surrender their babies to adoptive homes from the late 1940s to the 1980s. And we interviewed some of the victims -- adoptees and mothers separated at birth.
For remaining article:
http://news.yahoo.com/forced-adoptions-for-unwed-mothers-around-the-globe.html
Stories from the mothers who had their babies taken away
Stories from the mothers who had their babies taken awayby Amber JamiesonAbout 150,000 babies were put up for adoption in Australia during 1951-1975, the large majority from single, unwed girls and women. The practice of “forced adoptions” involving coercion and institutional policies that encouraged babies to be taken away from their mothers, has been the focus for a Senate committee for the past 18 months.Yesterday the Community Affairs committee tabled it’s final report, Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices, to the Senate yesterday. The committee calls for a formal apology to given by the federal government that identifies that actions and policies that encouraged forced adoptions.The report is largely based on the 418 submissions received from individuals and organisations explaining their own personal experiences of having their babies removed from them. Here is a selection of some of those submissions, which explain just what it was like for a young Australian girl or woman in the 1950s-mid 1970s facing pregnancy as an unwed mother:
What happened when they found out they were pregnant?
for remaining article:
http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/03/01/forced-adoption-stories-from-the-mothers-who-had-their-babies-taken-away/
What happened when they found out they were pregnant?
for remaining article:
http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/03/01/forced-adoption-stories-from-the-mothers-who-had-their-babies-taken-away/
Doctors had no respect: adoption inquiry
Doctors, nurses and midwives involved in past forced adoption practices showed no respect for the women they cared for, a Senate inquiry into the 20 year-long policy heard Wednesday. The inquiry's report into the treatment of 150,000 unwed mothers who had their babies taken against their will between the 1950s and 1970s took 18 months to assemble - including hours of testimony detailing how the women were treated by healthcare professionals.Committee member and Labor senator Carol Brown said women had been tricked into signing adoption papers and physically shackled to hospital beds.She said the pain of women affected was "unimaginable"...
for remaining article:
http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/news/doctors-had-no-respect-for-unwed-mothers--adoption
for remaining article:
http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/news/doctors-had-no-respect-for-unwed-mothers--adoption
Fed Govt asked to play greater role in overseas adoptions
Wednesday, July 5, 2006. 11:34am (AEST)
An internal review has found the New South Wales Government spends more on overseas adoptions than on local child protection cases.
The Minister for Community Services, Reba Meagher, has called on the Commonwealth to play a greater role in overseas adoptions to allow state agencies to concentrate on foster placements for local children.
"We should be directing our child protection resources to those kids in New South Wales that need our help," Ms Meagher said....
click here for article
An internal review has found the New South Wales Government spends more on overseas adoptions than on local child protection cases.
The Minister for Community Services, Reba Meagher, has called on the Commonwealth to play a greater role in overseas adoptions to allow state agencies to concentrate on foster placements for local children.
"We should be directing our child protection resources to those kids in New South Wales that need our help," Ms Meagher said....
click here for article
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
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.
click here for remaining article
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.
click here for remaining article
In search of the stolen children
August 30, 2008
Despite a wave of scandals, child-trafficking remains a huge problem for India, reports Matt Wade in Chennai.
Charities are normally keen to get some publicity to raise their profile and help with fund-raising. But that's not the case for orphanages and adoption agencies in Chennai, India's fourth biggest city.
They have closed ranks after years of negative stories about an adoption "scam" at a local orphanage called Malaysian Social Services.
Police say MSS received children who had been taken from poor families, fabricated new identities for them and then offered them for adoption in Western countries including Australia. The investigation has dragged on since 2000 and is now in the hands of India's premier police agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation.
But the scandal flared again this week when it was revealed a child called Zabeen had been taken from her family in Chennai and adopted by a Queensland couple in 2000....
for remaining article
Despite a wave of scandals, child-trafficking remains a huge problem for India, reports Matt Wade in Chennai.
Charities are normally keen to get some publicity to raise their profile and help with fund-raising. But that's not the case for orphanages and adoption agencies in Chennai, India's fourth biggest city.
They have closed ranks after years of negative stories about an adoption "scam" at a local orphanage called Malaysian Social Services.
Police say MSS received children who had been taken from poor families, fabricated new identities for them and then offered them for adoption in Western countries including Australia. The investigation has dragged on since 2000 and is now in the hands of India's premier police agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation.
But the scandal flared again this week when it was revealed a child called Zabeen had been taken from her family in Chennai and adopted by a Queensland couple in 2000....
for remaining article
Australia to return 'abducted' children?
8/25/2008 1:50:20 PM
Three years after an illegal adoption racket was busted in Tamil Nadu, in which some of the missing children were traced to foster homes in Australia, the authorities in Australia are debated whether the children should be given back to their parents in India.
Reaction to the case, the Australian High Commission told TIMES NOW that they will look into the matter.
"This is a very serious issue. We are aware of the allegations relating to the company involved. It is for the Australian Attorney General and his department," top diplomats int eh Australian High Commission said.
At least 30 children adopted from India by Australian families may have been kidnapped and sold by child traffickers. A TIME magazine investigation now says 13 of these children are in Australia. The investigation, published this weekend, claims kidnappers stole children from poor neighbourhoods in southern India and sold them to an adoption agency in Malaysia called the Malaysian Social Services for Australian dollar 265 each....
for remaining article
Three years after an illegal adoption racket was busted in Tamil Nadu, in which some of the missing children were traced to foster homes in Australia, the authorities in Australia are debated whether the children should be given back to their parents in India.
Reaction to the case, the Australian High Commission told TIMES NOW that they will look into the matter.
"This is a very serious issue. We are aware of the allegations relating to the company involved. It is for the Australian Attorney General and his department," top diplomats int eh Australian High Commission said.
At least 30 children adopted from India by Australian families may have been kidnapped and sold by child traffickers. A TIME magazine investigation now says 13 of these children are in Australia. The investigation, published this weekend, claims kidnappers stole children from poor neighbourhoods in southern India and sold them to an adoption agency in Malaysia called the Malaysian Social Services for Australian dollar 265 each....
for remaining article
Stolen children adopted in Australia
Stolen children adopted in Australia: report
23 August 2008 06:23 FOCUS News Agency
Sydney.
The Australian government is investigating a media report that 13 Indian children may have been stolen from their parents as part of a child-trafficking network and brought to Australia for adoption.
Time magazine reported on Saturday that an Indian-based adoption agency renamed children and fabricated their histories, complete with photographs of fake mothers offering them for adoption.It said it had seen adoption agency documents for 13 such children...
for remaining article
23 August 2008 06:23 FOCUS News Agency
Sydney.
The Australian government is investigating a media report that 13 Indian children may have been stolen from their parents as part of a child-trafficking network and brought to Australia for adoption.
Time magazine reported on Saturday that an Indian-based adoption agency renamed children and fabricated their histories, complete with photographs of fake mothers offering them for adoption.It said it had seen adoption agency documents for 13 such children...
for remaining article
Claims adopted children were stolen
The Queensland government will cooperate with Indian investigators into claims children adopted from India may have been stolen.
At least 30 children adopted in Australia may have been stolen from their parents as part of a child trafficking network in India from 1998 to 1999, The Weekend Australian reported today.
Some children were stolen by gangs who sold them for 10,000 rupees or $280 each to the unscrupulous adoption agency Malaysian Social Services, which sent them to families in wealthy countries such as Australia.
In one case, a woman named Fatima claims her daughter Zabeen was snatched as a two-year-old as she played outside her family home in Chennai. Fatima said she recognised her daughter in an agency's brochure....
August 23, 2008 01:55pm
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