Tika Stern was brought to Berlin from Nepal as a baby by German parents - but not as part of an official adoption. She grew up without valid papers. Now she finally wants to live in Berlin as a recognized German. By C Rubarth and H Daehler

Tika Stern grew up in Berlin without valid papers

the 24-year-old has to travel to Nepal to clarify her identity

Adopted from abroad often search for their origin

"I'm from Berlin, my roots are here," says Tika Stern. The 24-year-old stands in her old school in Berlin-Friedrichshain in front of photos from her school days. "But on paper I'm not German."

The Supreme Court on Friday suggested that a meeting be held between the Delhi

Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) and the Union Ministry of

Women and Child Development so that a discussion could take place on the issue of

2021 amendments made to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act 2015 (JJ

Act).The Court was hearing a writ petition filed by the Delhi Commission...

Zwischenbericht z. H. des Bundesamtes für Justiz   -  Interim report e.g. H. of the Federal Office of Justice

Nigeria's Anti-Human Trafficking Agency, NAPTIP Conducts DNA Tests To Determine Biological Parents Of 20-Year-Old Woman Allegedly Stolen At Birth

Nigeria's anti-human trafficking, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has conducted Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) paternity and maternity tests to determine the biological parents of a 20-year-old woman identified as Juliet, allegedly stolen from her parents at birth in Enugu.

SaharaReporters had reported that NAPTIP arrested one Mrs Mariatha Chidinma Agulanna for allegedly stealing the 20-year-old woman from her biological parents – Professor Michael and Gloria Okwudili – shortly after she was born.

It earlier reported how a twist of fate and sheer providence brought the woman to her suspected biological parents after 20 years.

Mrs Agulanna had ignored several invitations by the anti-human trafficking agency, which summoned her following a petition against her for her role in the alleged theft of the baby in a hospital in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria, two decades ago.

In an aggressive piece the director of the Center for Adoption Policy in New York, Dr. Diane B. Kunz, Esq. reacts on the dwindling numbers of children who are adopted from abroad in the United States. The numbers went down from 17,000 in 2008 to 7,000 last year. The article, published on the Center’s website (http://www.adoptionpolicy.org/...), blames the Department of State (DOS) and UNICEF and their attitude towards international adoption for the decline. Dr. Diane B. Kunz, Esq. writes: ‘When speaking at international forums such as the Fifth International Policy Conference on the African Child: Intercountry Adoption: Alternatives and Controversies (May 29-30, 2012; http://www.africanchildforum.org/...), DOS and UNICEF speak with one voice, defining international adoption as cultural genocide, a sign of national failure or as a cover for fraud.’

Who doesn’t like a fiery pen, which scribbles angrily hyperbolic allegations? I do, for sure, but ‘cultural genocide’? That is even for me a bit too wild. I asked UNICEF about this and they emailed me, that ‘this is a gross misrepresentation of UNICEF’s position on inter-country adoption’ and referred me to their position paper on the subject. UNICEF, being an international organization, formulates pretty lame and bureaucratic: ‘UNICEF supports inter-country adoption, when pursued in conformity with the standards and principles of the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoptions – already ratified by more than 80 countries.’ Not the language of anti-adoption Nazi’s I would say. It says further: ‘Inter-country adoption is among the range of stable care options.  For individual children who cannot be cared for in a family setting in their country of origin, inter-country adoption may be the best permanent solution.’ It is not poetry, I agree, but I imagine that the Department of State whether they like it or not, has to take this same international perspective.  The US is – most of the time – part of a community of countries, who try to work together and try to find solutions for problems in concert with others.

I checked that African conference where according Dr. Diane B. Kunz, Esq. UNICEF and DOS misbehaved. Well, most of the speakers were from African countries and only two sessions gave word to members of adoptee receiving, western countries. In one of them I found an American official, Ambassador Susan Jacobs, Special Advisor for Children’s Issues of the US Department of State. Would she have spoken about the ‘cultural genocide’ that international adoption would be? I didn’t ask, so to not embarrass myself.
  I didn’t see a UNICEF speaker. If UNICEF was involved it was maybe to wreak havoc in the hallways in between the sessions and to pick up the check at the end of three days in May 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
 The results of the conference can be read in a report online. It is obvious that the African countries were and are collaborating to find a collective answer to the very western and very invasive solution to the problems of parentless children (or orphans) in their countries, which is international adoption.
 To suggest that the US or UNICEF instigated the following paragraphs would be rather patronizing:
  'The term "adoption" does not feature in African languages and in many African countries adoption is a concept that most people are not familiar with, which signifies the fact that intercountry adoption is a "foreign practice".’
And:
  ‘Awareness  should be  raised  throughout  the continent as to what adoption entails and that intercountry adoption should be a measure of last resort.’

The final result of the conference is formulated in a document and it is clear that Africa, other than Dr. Diane B. Kunz, Esq. wants us to believe, is just not in favor of international adoption: ‘The conference adopted the Addis Ababa Communiqué on Intercountry Adoption which calls for a reversal of the current trend of resorting to intercountry adoption as a primary solution for African children in need of alternative care. Instead, the communiqué calls for prime priority to be given to enabling all children in Africa to remain with their families and in their communities. The communiqué therefore calls upon African States, Civil Society organisations and Treaty Bodies to assume their responsibilities in ensuring the wellbeing of all children in Africa.’ I know, no poetry either.

Interestingly and surprisingly enough the document expresses Dr. Diane B. Kunz, Esq.’s position:
‘The US fully endorses intercountry adoption and does not regard it as a measure of last resort. despite the acknowledgement of the principle of subsidiarity, the main purpose of intercountry adoption is considered to be the upbringing of a child by a loving family, even when this entails the physical removal of a child from his or her family or country of origin.’ It sounds as if Dr. Diane B. Kunz, Esq. and not Ambassador Susan Jacobs was in Addis to express the American position!

Cremona – A man and woman from the Cremona area have been sentenced to three months in prison and a fine of 10,000 euros for failing to meet their duty of care and maintenance. The background to the court decision is shocking. The couple are said to have abandoned their adopted son after he was taken into his home just five days earlier.

A 26-year-old Brazilian, who was only ten years old at the time of the events, reported the case. After his adoptive parents turned their backs on him, he lived a poor life and went down the wrong path. For a series of petty thefts, he ended up in prison in Modena. "I ask no pity. I have served my just punishment. But in prison I met someone for the first time who listened to me and who explained my rights and my obligations. The only thing I received from my adoptive parents is my last name," the young man told Corriere della Sera.

Because he met the lawyer Gianluca Barbiero behind bars, who supports him as legal counsel, the Brazilian experienced justice after 16 years - now also in the second instance. The verdict on appeal came in 20221 in Brescia.

On August 30, 2007, the Cremona couple returned to Italy from Brazil with the adoption permit from the São Paulo court in their pockets. On September 4, the husband and wife decided not to adopt the child again. They claimed the ten-year-old had pointed a knife at his adoptive father.

When the Brazilian later filed a complaint, he instead claimed that his adoptive mother hit him with a belt after he argued with the couple's biological son.

What fundamental rights do adopted children have? What should you do if your child wants to meet their biological family? Find out here.

Adoption is often a way out for underage boys and girls in situations of vulnerability. Indeed, it’s an essential resource as they have the fundamental right to grow up in a family. In this article, we’ll advise you on what to do if your child is adopted and is interested in looking for their biological mother.

Due to the fact that they’re adopted, these children have another fundamental right. The right to know where they came from. However, although most parents recognize this fact, it often also generates a great deal of fear and doubts about what they should tell their children about their personal history and origins.

In fact, both adoptive families and people who are adopted need the guidance and support of various professionals. Among the specialists involved are psychologists who advise them and help them go a long way in the search for their biological relatives.

“Every single minute matters, every single child matters, and every single childhood matters.”

Synopsis

The high court while rejecting the bail plea said that that footpath dwellers are most vulnerable and marginalised section.

A single judge bench of the Bombay High Court comprising Justice Anuja Prabhudesai has recently refused bail to a man while observing that child trafficking is one of the most serious and heinous forms of exploitation which not only impacts the child and the family but threatens the very fabric of the society.

“Child trafficking is one of the most serious and heinous forms of exploitation which not only impacts the child and the family but threatens the very fabric of the society. Considering the gravity of the offense, I am not inclined to exercise the discretion under Section 439 of the Cr.P.C. in favour of the Applicant, who is involved in child trafficking racket”, the court observed.

The bench of Justice Anuja Prabhdessai was hearing the bail application of one Parandam Gudenti, who was arrested in connection with the sale of a 10-month-old baby belonging to a family living on a footpath in Mumbai. The case related to an incident of August 2021 when a child was kidnapped from the footpath near a traffic police booth in the suburban Bandra area of Mumbai while the family was asleep.

FRANKLIN, TN – A new Vice TV special, ?? ‘??????’ ??? ??? ??????” (The ‘Orphans’ from Greece), aired nationwide recently on Antenna channel in Greece. This beautifully done film by acclaimed Greek journalist and author,Andreas Bousios explores the questionable adoptions of thousands of Greek children, primarily to the United States, in the dark Cold War decades of the 1950s and 1960s.

The film exposes this tragic period of Greek history as seen through the eyes of three different people: two Greek-born adoptees, Merrill Jenkins and Linda Carol Trotter; and a Greek biological family member, Bobby Kalogeropoulos. Their poignant and gripping stories, while different, are also the same — born in the aftermath of World War II and the Greek Civil War that gave rise to adoptions that were accomplished in a matter of a few weeks to a few months, with virtually no oversight by either the Greek or U.S. governments.

Merrill Jenkins was left on the steps of a church at approximately 15 days of age with a note that said he had been baptized with the name Mitsos. He was taken to the Vrefokomeio Patron (Patras Municipal Orphanage) by the Patras police and a few months later was adopted by American parents in St. Louis, Missouri, through the International Social Service. His orphanage, adoption and alien files contained no clues to his biological family. A clue from a DNA test in 2021 gave him reason to hope, but that, too, proved to be dead-end. Twelve years of fruitless searching came to an end in September 2022, when volunteers of The Eftychia Project found his biological family in the Achaean mountain village of Drosia. The Eftychia Project provided free DNA tests to Merrill’s potential first cousins, which confirmed the relationship and led to the discovery of the identity of his biological father. In November 2022, ‘Mitsos’ was welcomed to Greece by 50 members of his new-found family at a grand celebration at a local Patras taverna.

Linda Carol Trotter during filming of The ‘Orphans’ from Greece. (Photo: The Eftychia Project)

Linda Carol Trotter was born in the remote village of Stranoma, near Nafpaktos, Greece. At 45 days of age, she was taken from her biological mother’s arms and given to the Vrefokomeio Athinon (Athens Municipal Orphanage) by her own godmother. Baptized Eftychia by her biological mother, she was adopted by loving American parents from San Antonio, Texas, when she was 8 months old. Through a truly miraculous set of circumstances, she was reunited with her biological mother and her large extended Greek family in June 2017. The happiness, peace and closure she experienced at finding her roots, culture and heritage inspired her to found The Eftychia Project in May 2019 to help other Greek-born adoptees do the same. Today, Linda Carol is known to many by her original name of Eftychia and spends six months of every year in Greece, to be near her biological family and to continue the work of The Eftychia Project.

A 67-year-old man was sentenced by the Essonne Assize Court on Wednesday . He was found guilty of an assassination attempt on his niece, which occurred on October 23, 2019 in Juvisy, reports Le Parisien .

12 years in prison

That day, the man, who is also his adoptive father, gave him a violent blow with an axe. Touched at the base of the neck, the victim was able to get out thanks to the computer which was in his backpack and which absorbed the shock. She had been injured in the vertebrae but survived.

In bad terms with the victim, the accused had taken action because he had not digested his refusal to resume contact with him a few months before the facts. The man, of Indian origin , suffered in particular from depression after his eldest son was diagnosed with mental disorders. The latter had been sent to France for his studies, just like his daughter whose adoption had been made without his consent, according to him. The man had also tried to interrupt his schooling twice, without success.