Children steal to do good? The Swedish adoptions from the time of the military dictatorship in Chile are finally examined in more detail

From 1970 to 1990 around 2000 babies and toddlers were adopted from Chile to Sweden. In hundreds of cases, the children may have been stolen or taken under duress from their biological mothers. But in Sweden, the responsible institutions hesitate to deal seriously with the injustice.

David Henningson actually has a different name. And no, this is not about the usual phrase that journalists use to protect their sources on sensitive issues. Henningson actually had a different name: he was born Manuel Jesús Gonzales in July 1973 in a provincial Chilean town. Three years later he lived with his then eleven-month-old brother Gabriel in a children's home. The father was an alcoholic, the mother missing and possibly pregnant by another man. Social services managed to arrange for the brothers to be adopted to Sweden. The boys came to Gudrun and Bo Henningson in Halmstad. That's what the adoption papers say.

To mark Commonwealth Day on March 14th, we are delighted to announce that CFAB is one of the founders of a new Commonwealth Children's Interest Group to protect the many children of Commonwealth families who cross international borders.

As today (14th March) marks Commonwealth Day, we are proud to announce that CFAB is one of the founders of a new Commonwealth Children’s Interest Group. Both our CEO Carolyn Housman and Trustee David Jones are among the conveners of this group, with CFAB acting as Secretariat. The inaugural meeting of the group occurred on the 28th February, and we are pleased to inform you that we had interest from a wide range of Commonwealth organisations, including the Commonwealth Business Women’s Network (CBWN), Commonwealth Association for Health and Disability (COMHAD), the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and Rotary International.

With a large percentage of the Commonwealth population aged under-18, it has never been more vital to form a unifying position in the Commonwealth to consider the needs of children and to protect the many children of Commonwealth families who cross international borders. The Commonwealth is uniquely placed to protect children, due to its diversity and shared inheritance of language, culture and law, but also its concern for those in situations which make them vulnerable. It serves as a catalyst for new forms of friendship, co-operation and common action. Given that all Commonwealth countries are signatories to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, this group is an important step forward in upholding those rights.

This new group will be working to bring forward children’s rights and protections on the international Commonwealth stage, focusing on advocating for policies to improve children’s safety and wellbeing. It seeks to collaborate both within the Commonwealth, including High Commissioners, and with international organisations, such as the International Social Service, UNICEF and Plan International.

CFAB is looking forward to assisting the group and work in collaboration with other experts in the field of child protection to improve the welfare and safety of children and families across the world.

When a couple saw photographs of two boys from Congo, they felt an instant connection and knew they were meant to be a part of the family. But what they weren't prepared for was the long waiting period before finally bringing their sons home.

Adoption is a phenomenal process, enabling couples to complete their families and experience the everlasting joy of parenthood. But sometimes, the legal paperwork and overall process might take longer to complete than expected.

Generally, international adoptions might be more complex than domestic ones because they involve more than one government, caseworkers, and adoption agencies. Astonishingly, that didn't stop one couple from going the extra mile for their children.

THE GROVERS

Jennifer and James Grover from Utah had a family portrait unlike any other. They were happily married with four biological children and three adoptive kids. There was never a dull day in the Grover family, and every moment was filled with their kids' cackles.

The petition was filed by the son of the deceased's second wife, who had moved the court after a corporation rejected his application saying that he had not filed a valid succession certificate.

New Delhi: The Chhattisgarh high court has held that an ‘illegitimate’ son is also entitled to be considered for a job appointment on compassionate grounds after the death of the father, the Times of India reported.

The petition was filed by Piyush Kumar Anchal, who had moved the court after Chhattisgarh State Warehousing Corporation rejected his application on the ground that he had not filed a valid succession certificate. However, in his petition, Piyush said that his mother’s name was recorded in the nomination form submitted by his father.

According to the petition, Mohan Lal Anchal, the petitioner’s father, worked as a junior assistant at the Pratappur branch of the warehousing corporation and died due to COVID-19 infection. Anchal moved the high court, saying that he was the son of Mohan’s second wife and hence, applied for a job appointment on compassionate grounds.

Suresh Kumar Anchal, the son of Mohan’s first wife, had also claimed compassionate appointment.

Comic book artist Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom was in her 30s when she learned she was a “paper orphan”.

Born in South Korea, and taken to an orphanage before being adopted to a Swedish family at 2 years old, Sjöblom was removed from her mother because of her unmarried status. Poverty, disability, religion or simply being indigenous can be enough of a reason for the adoption industry to take children from their first families, she says.

As a “paper orphan”, Sjöblom was registered as an orphan even though her parents who were alive and known to authorities.

Illicit transnational adoption has deliberately erased the families and identities of hundreds of thousands of people all over the world.

Now, the comic book artist, illustrator and adoptees rights activist lives in T?maki Makaurau Auckland with her partner, children and cat.

Project History and Roots

Wereldkinderen started the 'History and Roots' project in 2017 to collect available information.

Publications adoption

A report per country from which more than 200 children were adopted to the Netherlands describes the social, economic and cultural context at the time of the adoptions in the period 1970-2000.

Adoption file

A child can request the cooperation of his presumed biological father with a DNA test in order to definitively establish paternity. In principle, the presumed biological father must cooperate in this. It is only possible to deviate from this under exceptional circumstances. The Supreme Court ruled that today.

The case

In this case, a 53-year-old man (hereinafter: the man) has repeatedly requested his presumed biological father to have DNA taken to investigate whether the latter is actually his biological father. The presumed biological father, who had a relationship with the man's mother prior to the man's birth, refuses to cooperate.

The rulings of the court and the court of appeal

The court previously ruled that the presumed biological father must cooperate with DNA testing because the interest of a child to know from whom it descends outweighs the interest of the father to keep it hidden. In doing so, the court took into account that the violation of the physical integrity of the presumed father, which is required for a DNA test, is very minor (reduction of buccal mucosa).

Each year, the International Adoption Mission publishes a comprehensive report containing all the figures relating to the adoption of foreign children by French nationals or foreigners residing in France.

International adoption in 2021

In 2021, 252 children were adopted abroad by French nationals or foreigners residing in France, compared to 244 in 2020.

The top 5 countries of origin

In 2021, the top 5 countries of origin are:

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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has personally apologized to a group of Greenlandic Inuit who were taken from their families in 1951 as part of a social experiment as a child. Six of the 22 are still alive. The apologies were conveyed at a meeting at the National Museum in Copenhagen.

The children were brought from Greenland to the then colonizer Denmark to be re-educated there. The idea was that once back in Greenland, they would form a Danish-speaking elite that could set an example for the rest of the Greenlandic population. In that way, they would contribute to the development of Greenland and improve the ties between Greenland and Denmark. The children were between 5 and 9 years old when they were taken from their families.

"What you went through was terrible and it was inhumane," Frederiksen said at the meeting. "It was unjust and heartless. We can take responsibility and do the only thing that is just: apologize for what happened."

Forbidden to speak Greenlandic

Initially it was the intention to send orphans to Denmark, but they proved difficult to find. Subsequently, children were also selected from families with only a father or mother. They were promised that the children in Denmark would receive a better education. “Our parents said yes, but they barely knew what they were agreeing to,” said Eva Ilum, one of the children.