https://www.pravo.unizg.hr/_download/repository/Elisabeth_Ward.pdf

Ricki Mudd is a young girl sitting on the back of a bicycle–in front of her, an unidentified man pedals; above her, an umbrella shields them from the rain. The stranger, she later learns, is her father.

Cut to: an orphanage. Ricki’s stomach is empty; the hunger drives her to steal baby milk powder. Whack! She’s caught–a flurry of brooms and pain follow.

These are the sole memories of China that Mudd carried with her to the United States after a White American couple adopted her when she was nearly five. For the rest of her childhood, Ricki would be raised in SeaTac, Washington, the daughter of Bill and Wendy Mudd and the sister of eight siblings.

Mudd struggled to adapt to life in the US. Though the conditions of her previous environment were unknown, it was clear that she had physical and psychological issues from her past. Rotten teeth and an eye disorder were quickly fixed, but healing her mental health would prove to be a longer journey.

“I was diagnosed with ADHD and on antidepressants in my single digits” says Mudd, who saw a psychiatrist, therapist, and the school counselor to work through these issues. “I think all of that support collectively helped me regain my footing,” she says. “My parents here have done so much for me, and I just have so much love for them.”

UPDATERTL and producer ITV have decided not to broadcast The Voice of Holland for the time being. The channel reports that allegations of sexually transgressive behavior and abuse of power have been received and wants to get to the bottom of what exactly is going on. Band leader Jeroen Rietbergen confesses his involvement and resigns immediately.

'On Wednesday, January 12, the editors of the BNNVARA program BOOS sent us an email with allegations of sexually transgressive behavior and abuse of power surrounding The Voice of Holland . The allegations are very serious and shocking and were not known to RTL," RTL said.

The channel has decided in joint consultation with the producer of the singing program to temporarily shut down The Voice of Holland . Rietbergen was extensively featured in the third episode, as could already be seen on Videoland. "On the basis of these allegations, producer ITV has been contacted and a mutual agreement has been reached that ITV will immediately initiate a diligent, independent investigation. We take this extremely seriously. Participants, employees, everyone must be able to work in complete safety. There is no room for interpretation in this. The priority now is to get the facts on the table.'

ITV said it was shocked by the allegations. “Our highest priority is to provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone who participates in – or works on – our shows and ITV Studios has a zero-tolerance policy towards the kind of behavior it is said to be. occurred."

Confession

This article is the 30th in a series about Koreans adopted abroad. Apparently, many Koreans never expected that the children they had sent away through adoption would return as adults with questions about their true identity and origins. However, thousands of adoptees visit Korea each year. Once they rediscover this country, it becomes a turning point in their lives. We should embrace the dialogue with adoptees to discover the path to recovering our collective humanity. ? ED.

By Lee Kyung-eun

In early summer of 2021, I sat with The Korea Times' digital content editor. We had met on the terrace of a small cafe in Seoul to discuss starting a new column series. That warm and sunny day stands out because it was the first moment this series' journey began.

Since 2017, a few like-minded individuals and I have been devising different ways to bring greater public attention to the need for fundamental changes in the laws and policies related to child protection and adoptees' access to origins. Despite our attempts, we fell short of achieving a meaningful impact on Korean society. These memories lingered in my mind as I spoke with the editor.

Although a number of adoptees' accounts had been published over the years, I felt that the missing element was a common thread weaving these individuals' narratives together. While each adoptee delivered a captivating story, they shared one collective experience ? being sent away by a system designed and maintained by Korea for seven decades. I wanted to give space to adoptees to talk about their experiences but to also incorporate broader discussions, a dialogue, on the underpinning laws and policies that affect these experiences. And most importantly, I wanted to frame adoptees' grievances for what they truly represented ? human rights violations.

NAVI MUMBAI: The Raigad district women and child development officer has lodged a complaint at the Kharghar police station against those running a children's orphanage in Kharghar for allegedly illegally adopting nine minor girls and providing them foster care, without obtaining the mandatory certificate from the concerned government department.

Subsequently, the Kharghar Police on Thursday registered an FIR against the authorised person, of the orphanage, who has been booked under Section 41 (adoption) and 42 (foster care) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.

As per the FIR by complainant Vinit Mhatre, Raigad District Women and Child Development officer at Alibaug office, in October last year, the child welfare committee had submitted a report on the Kharghar based orphanage stating that it was illegally accommodating orphan children.

Hence, on October 29, 2021, Mhatre along with officials of the child welfare committee and a lady constable of Kharghar police station reached the orphanage for inspection.

The team found 24 girls were accommodated and taken care of at the orphanage premises. They were also being sent to the school.

When Robert Joseph Taylor was a young child, he had a familial relationship with a child his aunt had taken in as her own. The child’s name was Pat. A friend had put Pat in the care of Taylor’s aunt because she wasn’t able to raise her herself.

Taylor grew up referring to Pat as his cousin, though they weren’t blood-related. And they shared all of the things families share together: vacations, meals, family ceremonies. It wasn’t until very recently that Taylor discovered the whole story.

“I [had] a cousin that I knew all my life was my cousin but turns out she’s really [wasn’t]. She was more of a play-cousin,” Taylor said.

“Pat passed away recently in her late 70s,” he said, “and it’s only a few years ago [that I asked] Pat how we are related. And then she explained it.”

Taylor is the Harold R. Johnson Endowed Professor of Social Work at the University of Michigan, and for years he’s studied informal social support networks among African Americans. According to data Taylor reviewed from the National Survey of American Life, the vast majority of African Americans reported having at least one fictive kin relationship — that is, a relationship with at least one individual who was unrelated by blood or marriage but was regarded as a relative. Taylor said fictive kinship networks have been shown to be key sources of social and economic capital for many African Americans.

Wang Chen-wei and Chen Chun-ju sign papers after ruling allows Chen to register as parent alongside Wang

Helen Davidson in Taipei

@heldavidson

Thu 13 Jan 2022 13.17 GMT

A married same-sex couple have become the first in Taiwan to legally adopt a child neither of them are related to, after they challenged local laws in court.

The High Court has formally approved the adoption of a non-national teenager to the woman who had cared for the child for many years after the teen’s birth mother died.

The adoption approval was granted by Mr Justice Max Barrett who in a written judgement said while case arose from sad and tragic beginning it was “one of those life-affirming cases” which sometimes crop before the courts that suggest that goodness and happiness were still abundant in the world.

The judge said he was making the order without the child’s father having being consulted about the proposed adoption. This was because the despite extensive efforts the identity of the teen’s father remains unknown, and was therefore not possible to contact them.

The child cannot be identified for legal purposes.

The court heard that the teen, when very young, came to Ireland with the child’s non-national mother over a decade ago. However shortly after their arrival in Ireland, the minor’s mother died after giving birth to another child. Tragically, the newborn infant also died, the court also noted.

The newly created National Authority for Child Care (NACC) will soon take over the handling of all government matters related to childcare and adoption.

This after Duterte finally signed Republic Act (RA) 11642, or the Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act last week, which created the new quasi-judicial agency.

In the House of Representatives, Northern Samar Rep. Paul R. Daza, principal author of the bill, said about 1.8 million Filipino children, who are waiting for loving homes, will benefit from the signing of the new law. The new legislation, he added, finally resolves the problem on abandoned and neglected children who are waiting to be adopted.

“I’m calling on prospective adoptive parents; I enjoin you to give a life-changing chance for children who have long been waiting for the fulfillment of their dreams to have families!” Daza said.

The NACC will take over the previous function of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Inter-Country Adoption Board (ICAB) relating to alternative childcare and adoption.

President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the law on Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care, Malacañang announced Thursday.

The new law, numbered Republic Act 11642, creates the National Authority for Child Care, which will have original and exclusive jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to alternative child care, including declaring a child legally available for adoption; domestic administrative adoption; adult adoption; foster care under Republic Act No. 10165 or the Foster Care Act of 2012; adoptions under Republic Act No. 11222 or Simulated Birth Rectification Act; and inter-country adoption under Republic Act No. 8043 or the Inter­ Country Adoption Act of 1995.

Likewise, the NACC, which will be under the jurisdiction of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, will also have the authority to impose penalties in case of any violation of the new law.

"The NACC should ensure that the petitions, and all other matters involving alternative child care, including the issuance of Certification Declaring a Child Legally Available for Adoption (CDCLAA) and the process of domestic and inter-country adoption, foster care, kinship care, family-like care, or residential care are simple, expeditious, and inexpensive, and will redound to the best interest of the child involved," the law, signed by the President last January 6 but only released on January 13, stated.

"Towards this end, the NACC Council will act as the policy-making body and when convened as such, as an en banc appeals committee for contested denials of petitions issued by the Executive Director or the Deputy Director for Services," it added.