Romania’s minister of family Gabriela Firea announced the Government’s intention to close all orphanages and move children to family-style homes, a project that is almost two decades in the making.

“Closing all placement centers, the so-called orphanages, in the country is our primordial interest, so that children left in the care of the state will have a better, warmer, friendlier life in [the care of] foundations or in family-style homes,” said Gabriela Firea, Romania’s minister of family, youth and equal opportunities. She added that there are currently nearly 47,000 children in orphanages throughout the country, out of which six thousand are up for adoption.

Romania has a dark past when it comes to orphanages. In the aftermath of the 1989 revolution that toppled the communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, a series of pictures came out showing the squalid conditions in orphanages. Subsequent investigations estimated that between 1966 and 1989 there were up to 20,000 unnecessary deaths of children left in the care of the state. The vast majority of those who died were disabled.

“Roughly 70% of the registered deaths were from pneumonia. They were dying of external causes that were preventable and treatable,” said Florin Soare, an investigator, quoted by The Guardian.

Firea’s recently announced intention, however, has been part of the Government’s commitments for years.

The Karnataka High Court recently comprising of a bench of Justice Hemant Chandangoudar while allowing the petition filed by the two couples and quashing the proceedings initiated against them under the JJ Act held that in absence of a declaration that a child is deserted by his biological or adoptive parents or guardians, filing of charge sheet under Section 80 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015, is without any substance. (Banu Begum and Ors. v. the State of Karnataka)

Facts of the case

A charge sheet was filed alleging that accused No.1 gave birth to twin babies on 14.9.2018. Accused No.3, who was married and issue less through accused No.4, intended to take the daughter of accused No.1 on adoption. Accused Nos.1 and 2 agreed for giving adoption to accused No.3 on 14.9.2018 when accused No.1 came to the hospital for delivery, the accused No.1 had asked accused No.3 to come to the hospital. Accused No.1 delivered twin babies and one of the daughters had breathing problem and the said daughter was taken by accused No.3 by registering the name of the mother as Jareena Begum and thereafter took the daughter of accused Nos.1 and 2 on adoption by executing a deed on Rs.20/- stamp paper.

The learned Magistrate took cognizance of the offence punishable under Section 80 of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (for short `Act’) and issued summons to the petitioners. Taking exception to the same, this petition is filed.

Issue before the Court

AMSTERDAM - The pedo activist Nelson M. (27) who had fled from the Netherlands was arrested in Mexico City on Sunday. During his arrest, according to Mexican authorities, data carriers containing files containing child pornography were seized. A firearm with bullets and cocaine was also found. The arrest has been confirmed by organizations working against child abuse.

Mexican media brings up the arrest, portraying Nelson M. as the leader of an international network of pedophiles. The prosecutor's office in Mexico City confirms the arrest and shares images of it.

M.'s Dutch lawyer, Theo Hiddema, reacted with surprise on Tuesday morning about the arrest of his client: "You are attacking me. I'm just reading the whole story. So I can't give a substantive response yet. I was occasionally in contact with him through the app, but I do not know any background to this arrest at the moment.”

Extradition

M. fled last year from the Netherlands where several criminal cases are pending against him. With his flight to Mexico, M. tried to avoid his sentences, including for possession of child pornography. It is still unclear whether the Netherlands will ask for his extradition.

When Sumi's husband (47) came out, she needed time to process that. When a beautiful friendship finally blossomed between the two, Fred (then 38) was murdered by his new partner.

It all began on a rainy day in the centre of Canterbury.

I was waiting patiently in line at Costa to grab my usual cappuccino, when this handsome guy started chatting in the queue with me…

At the time I was flattered, but years later I have had to face the truth that Kyle chats with anyone!

‘Forced’ to sit together in the packed coffee-shop, we ended up swapping numbers and, some months later, arranged to meet for a drink in Rochester. When he was 15 minutes late, and I called him, he told me he was ‘just parking the car’.

Years later, he confessed he was just leaving the house – it turns out ‘just parking the car’ would be an excuse he’d use countless times over the years – but I’m so pleased that I waited around for another 15 minutes.

Through House Bill 450, the Legislature decided that it knows what's best for adoption — even more so than the brave women who choose confidential adoption.

I am an attorney, and more humbly, an adoptee. I met my birth parents 18 years after I was placed for adoption — after I received a call from the law firm facilitating my adoption that my birth mother was interested in an update. I loved my birth mother for her decision and would have never sought her identifying information without her consent.

Adoption confidentiality was a right ensured by Louisiana law for women who choose confidential adoption as a part of their adoption plans.

Now, adoptee advocates have framed this debate as an “equal rights” issue and made emotional appeals that they, as adoptees, are “wards of the state” which has somehow “deprived them of their origin.” These advocates have also advanced red herrings, arguing that because most birth mothers choose open adoption, that somehow defeats the fact that some choose confidential adoption.

These advocates also argue they are not seeking their birth certificates for reunion purposes, but simultaneously oppose redaction of their birth parents’ names on the certificates.

FORT BENNING, Ga. (June 6, 2012) -- Editor's note: In the Feb. 29 edition, The Bayonet featured an article on the Harts, a military Family adopting two children from India. This article is an update on their story and introduces three other Families, also adopting from India.

Of the 31 million orphans* in India, six will soon be coming home to the Chattahoochee Valley. The four Families adopting them -- three active duty and one former military -- have followed different paths to reach this decision and now they're months away from meeting their children for the first time. This is their story.

The Harts

Like many military Families, the Harts live on two continents. Although it's not yet official, and their daughters are still in India, Aimee Hart said she feels like the two sisters, ages 3 and 4, are already part of the Family.

"We are all in," she said. "To us, they're ours."

Chennai: A sordid tale of exploitation of a minor girl by her mother, male companion and two others has come to light in Tamil Nadu with the girl accusing them of forcing to sell her oocyte to private hospitals. While the accused including her mother and companions were arrested, a six-member team from the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services commenced a deeper inquiry into the case on Sunday.

The team met the 16-year-old girl, who hails from Erode district in western Tamil Nadu, and conducted inquiries for nearly three hours at a Government-run home where she has been lodged after being rescued.

The girl was staying with her mother Indira alias Sumiya following the latter’s estrangement with her husband. Indira’s male companion Syed Ali allegedly sexually abused the girl. In a complaint to the police, she alleged that the abuse was going on for five years and she was taken to different private hospitals in Erode and its surrounding districts since 2017 where she was forced to sell her oocytes. She alleged Rs 20,000 was paid to her mother during each visit and a woman Malathi, who acted as an intermediary, received Rs 5,000 as commission. Another accused John had got her a forged Aadhaar card under an assumed name to make it appear she had attained the age of majority.

The complaint blew the lid off an illegal egg donation racket in the district, which has numerous infertility clinics and a case was registered under the POCSO Act. All accused were arrested last week.

“We have taken the girl’s statement. Based on what she revealed, we will be visiting hospitals in Erode and other places to take statement from the staff and initiate further action,” A Viswanathan, Joint Director of Medical and Rural Health Services told journalists. He said action including cancellation of licenses would be taken against hospitals found guilty of the illegal extraction of oocytes. Doctors, if they were complicit in the crime, will also face action, he added.

This temporary commission of inquiry was established as of April 1, 2021 by Minister Grapperhaus of Justice and Security (JenV). This independent commission investigates the phenomenon of organized sadistic abuse of minors. The committee would finalize its investigation report in July 2022. More time is needed, the investigation report will be ready in November 2022.

Task of the Hendriks committee

A motion by Van den Berge (GroenLinks), Van Nispen (SP) and Kuiken (PvdA) (October 2020) requested an independent investigation into the nature and extent of organized sadistic abuse of children. Experiences of ritual abuse survivors and those of their therapists are included. The results of this can help in an effective detection of these networks.

In other motions related to this, an inquiry was also made into the National Expertise Group Special Sexual Affairs (LEBZ). They have also been asked to set up a hotline for victims and families of sectarian abuse. On the basis of the outcome of the assessment of the research assignment by the WODC and the political and social urgency of the problems, Minister Grapperhaus has set up an independent commission of inquiry. The committee has been given the following task:

Report to the minister on organized sadistic abuse of minors in the Netherlands. We use as many sources as possible for this. This includes victims, therapists, scientific sources and experts in this specific field. On the basis of the findings, give the minister an advice about the investigation.

Do I have much more family? How much more family do I have? Who are my siblings? These are many of the questions counselor and coach Maureen Davis's clients grapple with. Due to the extensive media attention surrounding donor conception and gynaecologists who used their own sperm, among other things, more donor children are now looking for where they come from.

Maureen Davis started at the age of 58 in addition to her work on a four-year college degree as a counselor and coach, majoring in psychology. The years-long search for her information about her silently unknown Indian father runs like a red thread through her life. Her father died during the search. Unfortunately she never got to meet him. Nevertheless, she went on a search for information about her father, met his relatives and got to know her half-brother and half-sister. Through her own experiences she understands the feelings of donor children all too well.

During her bachelor's degree in psychology, she researched the desire to know from whom you are descended and placed this desire in a broad social context. In 2014 her book Treasures in Aunt's Basement, Search for the Unknown Biological Parent was published . It is Maureen's personal conviction that wanting to know who your biological parents are is a primal urge, a primal desire. During the course of his life, someone who does not know his origin is confronted with a variety of complex feelings, such as insecurity, lack of self-confidence and identity problems. Feelings that – out of fear and shame – are often suppressed and concealed for years.

No research has yet been conducted in the Netherlands into how not knowing your biological father can influence the development of donor children, but international studies and the demand for help that has already arisen in the Netherlands have shown that it does have an influence.

Guidance