Campaigners demand government issue formal apology to women forced to give up their babies in 1950s-70s

Time is running out for the UK government to issue a formal apology to women who were forced to give up their babies for adoption in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, campaigners have warned.

Most of the estimated 185,000 women involved in forced adoptions are now in their 70s and 80s, and some have died without an apology on behalf of the state being issued.

Klaus Chikufenji, a prominent businessman, music promoter, and aspiring Member of Parliament, is at the center of a sprawling scandal involving human trafficking, forged documents, and the illegal adoption of vulnerable children. A damning investigation by the Investigative Platform-MW (PIJ) reveals how Chikufenji, in collusion with the Good Samaritan Children's Home, orchestrated the theft of children from their living parents, falsified death certificates, and profited from unethical international adoptions.

The investigation uncovers a chilling pattern of criminality, implicating Chikufenji in a network of corruption that preys on Malawi's most vulnerable. At the heart of the scandal is the case of Agness (name changed to protect her identity), a mother from Mulanje District whose three children were stolen from her while she was hospitalized.

The Stolen Children

In 2016, Agness was admitted to Mulanje District Hospital for an illness. When she returned home, her three children were gone. Her grandmother informed her that the children had been taken to the Good Samaritan Children's Home, allegedly at the behest of former Minister of Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare, Patricia Kaliati.

Agness later discovered that her children had been declared orphans, with forged death certificates claiming both she and her ex-husband were dead. The certificates, obtained by Chikufenji, were used to facilitate the illegal adoption of her children by an American couple, Priscilla Garner and her husband.

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A mother is speaking out after she says her 12-year-old daughter was denied a place on the heart transplant list at Cincinnati Children's Hospital because of her vaccination status.

Brayton and Jeneen Deal, who adopted Adaline from China, said she was born with two heart conditions that will now require a transplant.

When the Deals were in the process of adopting Adaline, the adoption agency told them to pick another child because "her heart was so bad, she wasn't going to make it," they wrote in a GoFundMe campaign.

"We continued to support Adaline so she could stay in a foster home, but shortly after we arrived home with our other adopted child, the agency stopped taking the funds out of our account," they wrote.

"So, we thought she had passed away."

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to assist faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship in their efforts to strengthen American families, promote work and self-sufficiency, and protect religious liberty, it is hereby ordered:

     Section 1.  Policy.  Faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship have tremendous ability to serve individuals, families, and communities through means that are different from those of government and with capacity and effectiveness that often exceeds that of government.  These organizations lift people up, keep families strong, and solve problems at the local level.  The executive branch wants faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to compete on a level playing field for grants, contracts, programs, and other Federal funding opportunities.  The efforts of faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship are essential to strengthening families and revitalizing communities, and the Federal Government welcomes opportunities to partner with such organizations through innovative, measurable, and outcome-driven initiatives.
The executive branch is committed to ensuring that all executive departments and agencies (agencies) honor and enforce the Constitution’s guarantee of religious liberty and to ending any form of religious discrimination by the Federal Government.

     Sec. 2.  Amendments to Executive Orders.  (a)  Executive Order 13198 of January 29, 2001 (Agency Responsibilities With Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives); Executive Order 13279 of December 12, 2002 (Equal Protection of the Laws for Faith-Based and Community Organizations), as amended by Executive Order 13559 of November 17, 2010 (Fundamental Principles and Policymaking Criteria for Partnerships With Faith-Based and Other Neighborhood Organizations); Executive Order 13280 of December 12, 2002 (Responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture and the Agency for International Development With Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives); Executive Order 13342 of June 1, 2004 (Responsibilities of the Departments of Commerce and Veterans Affairs and the Small Business Administration With Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives); and Executive Order 13397 of March 7, 2006 (Responsibilities of the Department of Homeland Security With Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives), are hereby amended by:
          (i)   substituting “White House Faith Office” for “White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives” or “White House OFBCI” each time it appears in those orders; and
          (ii)  substituting “Center for Faith” for “Center for Faith-based and Community Initiatives,” and “Centers for Faith” for “Centers for Faith-based and Community Initiatives” each time they appear in those orders.
          (b)  Executive Order 13279, as amended by Executive Order 13559, is further amended by striking section 2(h) and redesignating sections 2(i) and 2(j) as sections 2(h) and 2(i), respectively.
     
     Sec. 3.  Establishment of the White House Faith Office.  (a)  There is established within the Executive Office of the President (EOP) the White House Faith Office (Office).  The Office shall have lead responsibility in the executive branch to empower faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship to serve families and communities.
(b)  The Office shall be housed in the Domestic Policy Council and headed by a Senior Advisor to the White House Faith Office, and supported by other positions as the President considers appropriate.  In carrying out this order, the Office shall work with the Domestic Policy Council, the Office of Public Liaison, and the Centers for Faith established by Executive Order 13198, Executive Order 13280, Executive Order 13342, and Executive Order 13397, as amended by section 2(a)(ii) of this order.

     Sec. 4.  White House Faith Office Functions.  (a)  To the extent permitted by law, the Office shall:
     (i)     from time to time, consult with and seek information from experts and various faith and community leaders identified by the White House Faith Office and other EOP components, including those from outside the Federal Government and those from State, local, and Tribal governments.  These experts and leaders shall be identified based on their expertise in a broad range of areas in which faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship operate, including protecting women and children; strengthening marriage and family; lifting up individuals through work and self-sufficiency, defending religious liberty; combatting anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, and additional forms of anti-religious bias; promoting foster care and adoption programs in partnership with faith-based entities; providing wholesome and effective education; preventing and reducing crime and facilitating prisoner reentry; promoting recovery from substance use disorder; and fostering flourishing minds;
     (ii)    make recommendations to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, regarding changes to policies, programs, and practices, and aspects of my Administration’s policy agenda, that affect the ability of faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship to serve families and communities;
     (iii)   convene meetings with representatives from the Centers for Faith and other representatives from across agencies as appropriate;
     (iv)    advise on the implementation throughout the Federal Government of those aspects of my Administration’s policy agenda aimed at enabling faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship to better serve families and communities;
     (v)     showcase innovative initiatives by faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship that serve and strengthen individuals, families, and communities throughout the United States;
     (vi)    coordinate with all agencies to implement training and education throughout the country for faith-based entity grantees to build their capacity to procure grants;
     (vii)   support agencies in developing and implementing training and education regarding religious liberty exceptions, accommodations, or exemptions;
     (viii)  consult with public and private businesses regarding their policies for employee volunteerism, charitable giving, and payroll deductions;
     (ix)    coordinate with agencies on identifying and promoting grant opportunities for non-profit faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship, especially those inexperienced with public funding but that operate effective programs;
     (x)     work in collaboration with the Attorney General, or a designee of the Attorney General, to identify concerns raised by faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship about any failures of the executive branch to enforce constitutional and Federal statutory protections for religious liberty; and
     (xi)    identify and propose means to reduce burdens on the free exercise of religion, including legislative, regulatory, and other barriers to the full and active participation of faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship in government-funded or government-conducted activities and programs.
     (b)  Agencies shall, to the extent permitted by law, provide such information, support, and assistance to the Office as may assist the Office in fulfilling this order.  
     (c)  The Directors of each Center of Faith shall oversee their respective agency’s efforts to assist the Office in carrying out this order, and shall report on such efforts to agency leadership and the Office.  Agencies that lack a Center for Faith shall designate or appoint a Faith Liaison within the agency to oversee the agency’s efforts to assist the Office in carrying out this order and to report on such efforts to agency leadership and the Office.  All such agencies shall designate or appoint such a Faith Liaison within 90 days of the date of this order.

     Sec. 5.  Severability.  If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and the application of its provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

     Sec. 6. General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
 
 
 
 
 
THE WHITE HOUSE,
    February 7, 2025.

Thousands of Adoptees in US Still Lack Citizenship

The Trump administration’s focus on deporting immigrants has left many intercountry adoptees increasingly vulnerable. Brought to the United States by adoptive parents who, for various reasons, failed to secure their legal status or naturalized citizenship, these individuals now face the threat of deportation from the only home they have come to know.

For decades, intercountry adoptions approved by courts and government agencies did not automatically guarantee US citizenship. Not until the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 were intercountry adoptees granted automatic citizenship, but it only applied to adoptees younger than 18 as well as future adoptions when it took effect in 2001. It excluded those who arrived before February 27, 1983, as well as those brought to the United States on tourist or medical visas, a route that might have seemed fast and simple to some adoptive parents, but that has left their adopted children without legal status once those visas expired.

Many in the non-citizen adoptee community fear the impact of President Donald Trump’s talk about mass deportations and stricter immigrations policies, such as the executive order aimed at “removing promptly all aliens who enter or remain in violation of federal law.” Some of these adoptees have uncertain legal status due to visa overstays. Others, while legally in the US, remain subject to deportation if they have a criminal history, including for drug offenses like marijuana possession.

Job Title: Assistant Program Manager (Social Worker) – Adoption Programme
Location Districts: Mumbai. (Traveling required within MMR region)
Employment Type: Renewable fixed-term contract
About:
Bal Asha Trust is a Mumbai-based charity working for child protection for the past 39 years. Our vision is where every
child is cared for, loved, healthy and in the family. It is an awarded organisation implementing seven programmes for
vulnerable children. Our primary programmes are Children’s Home, Adoption Centre, Child Development Centre,
Education Sponsorship, Poshan, Mumkin and Training & Awareness. For more information visit www.balashatrust.org
About the Program:
Bal Asha Trust is India’s best and awarded recognized Adoption Agency. Bal Asha Trust is a licensed organisation
authorised by the Government of Maharashtra to place children who are legally declared “free for Adoption” with
loving and caring families. As an Adoption agency, we have two important roles to look after: placing our children in
Adoption and supporting local families in the counselling and home study process, so they can adopt from anywhere
in India.
The Adoption Programme is a structured process that ensures every child finds a loving and caring family. Prospective
adoptive parents are referred to the Trust through an online system managed by the Central Adoption Resource
Authority (CARA), New Delhi. The Adoption Committee, comprising a government official, follows a rigorous
screening and evaluation process before placing a child with a family.
Purpose of the Role
The Assistant Program Manager is expected to ensure a smooth transition of children from Bal Asha’s care to
family-based care through adoption. Execute all Pre & Post Adoption-related activities at Bal Asha Trust. The role
includes interconnected responsibilities for children’s adoption processes and guiding prospective adoptive parents
(PAPs).

NewsThe Blantyre court in Malawi failed on Thursday to start the case against Dutch national Wim Akster, who is accused of abuse. At the start of the hearing it was discovered that the case file was missing.The former development worker has been charged with sexually abusing students and employees of Stichting Timotheos.Victor Jere, the lawyer representing the victims, said that senior magistrate Andrew Mmanga could not find the case file. ‘This morning the magistrate said he did not have the file. The case was adjourned to 2pm to give him time to contact the Chief Resident Magistrate (CRM), but that also failed. So we will contact the CRM to discuss the next steps,’ he said.

Chilean adoptee Mirjam Hunze is starting a lawsuit in Chile for child abduction to the Netherlands. She is holding the Chilean state liable for illegal adoptions by 'nun' Truus Kuijpers. She is also demanding that the Netherlands provide access to adoption documents and question those involved, including Kuijpers' sister and former employees of the Las Palmas orphanage.

Human rights lawyers from the Chilean Colombara office filed the case on Mirjam's behalf with the Santiago Court of Appeal. The court has accepted her complaint of child abduction. Later, other Chilean adoptees will also start proceedings.

During the Pinochet dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s, some 20,000 Chilean children were systematically adopted illegally abroad. This was done with the cooperation of doctors, notaries, judges, hospitals, orphanages and churches. "Thousands of people were harmed because their sons and daughters were taken and deprived of their right to identity, through deception and probably through a form of fraud from which many people benefited financially," says Jennifer Alfaro, coordinator of Colombara.

Truus Kuijpers ran the Las Palmas orphanage in Santiago since the 1970s. She presented herself as a 'nun', while she was not. She managed to have at least 155 children adopted from Chile, most of them in the Netherlands. Adoptees and their biological mothers accuse Kuijpers of having taken babies from hospitals without permission and offered them for adoption. Kuijpers was a suspect in a criminal investigation in Chile, but she died in January 2023.

The authorities in our country wanted to forget about the fate of children adopted abroad in the early 1990s. They assumed that they would all lead a fulfilled life, without the deprivations and traumas of Romanian orphanages at that time. When the children grew up and began to search for their roots, physical and psychological abuse, unhappiness and destinies broken by lovelessness came to light. Lucian was 7 years old when he was adopted by a Belgian family. His life was a torment and he sued the Romanian state for trafficking in minors and crimes against humanity. A new disturbing episode in the "Written in DNA" campaign.

• "Directly in the chest, assassinated on command". The moment when the two clans clashed in the middle of the street, in Urziceni. Two young men from the Catană clan, shot dead

Lucian is "a little boy", born into an absurd world in 1984. He was abandoned at birth and ended up in an orphanage in Mangalia. He vaguely remembers the gray and tormented days, but immediately after the Revolution, it seemed that everything would change. The visits of families from abroad who wanted to adopt children from the orphanages brought hope to the little ones' souls. The first vacation with those who would become his parents seemed almost a dream.