Mother and Adopted Daughter: It is unethical to deceive poor parents of their children

The current system of transnational adoption means that we deal with children and remove them from their original families and country of birth. It must be regarded as an assault, write the adoption researcher and her adopted daughter in this debate

We write this chronicle together: the adopted and the adoptive, mother and daughter.

We were adopted together in Burkina Faso in 1995 at the request of Babette's biological grandmother and national authorities. Merete became part of the Burkinian extended family. We have since lived in Burkina Faso for periods, and it was great to be stopped in the street by random passers-by who, addressed to Merete, said, "Thank you for taking her back - there is no one else doing that."

In the original legal significance of adoption, this is only accomplished when both parties have adopted each other - this is a mutual process. This is not the case in the dominant, transnational adoption system.

The Namakkal adoption racket that is being investigated in Tamil Nadu has once again brought illegal adoptions to the spotlight. Investigating agencies believe at least 30 children had been sold by the gang behind the racket. The gang is alleged to have used gaps in health and registration services to target vulnerable families—poor, with several children, or several girl children—and persuade them to sell their babies to childless couples. They are alleged to have used contacts in government hospitals to locate such families. The families that gave up their children reportedly only received a small portion of what the childless couples paid for the child, the brokers pocketing most of it. It is reported that the families gave up their children only to ensure the kids got a better life.

That the circumstances of families in Tamil Nadu, one of the better-off states in India, remain such that they are willing to sell their babies to strangers should cause the state government to introspect and remedy gaps in its services, especially with regards to birth control and family planning. Adoption processes have been streamlined in recent years, but they do require prospective parents to be patient. The processes are not free of corruption although they are designed to protect the best interests of the child, to ensure that the kid ends up in a good and stable home. However, that illegal adoption remains rampant indicates that the legal process may need to be further streamlined without compromising the interests of the child. The government should also undertake more efforts to create awareness on the adoption process and make it accessible to all.

Meanwhile, childless couples should realise that even though legal adoption may take time, it is aimed at protecting the best interests of the child. By resorting to illegal adoption, they end up creating a demand that puts so many children at such horrific risk.

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Officers of the Nigeria Police Force, Warri Area Command have arrested three suspects over alleged child-trafficking of a two-and-half-year-old baby girl.

Those arrested included, the matron of Divine Orphanage Home, Rosemary Johnson and another Madam Rose IIogbo in Ughelli.

The third person was a lady, who allegedly bought the child at the sum of N850,000 from the aforementioned ladies.

The arrest followed a petition by the President of Nigerian Child Welfare Fund, Comrade Joshua Omorere.

Beste mijnheer/mevrouw,

Graag nodigen wij u, mede namens het ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid, uit om in gesprek te gaan over de mogelijkheden om samen het ondersteuningsaanbod te versterken aan interlandelijk geadopteerden die zoeken naar hun roots.

Het Ministerie heeft Fiom gevraagd op te treden als coördinator van een gezamenlijk plan en daarom (vervolg)afspraken te plannen met de belangenorganisaties voor interlandelijk geadopteerden. We plannen landgerichte bijeenkomsten. Dit betekent dat we, per bijeenkomst, alle vertegenwoordigers van organisaties die in dat betreffende land of voor geadopteerden uit dat land actief zijn samen plannen.

Bij de bijeenkomst zullen medewerkers van het Ministerie en medewerkers van Fiom aanwezig zijn. Er zal een neutrale voorzitter worden ingezet om het gesprek te leiden.

Verzoek aan u is, mede gezien de beschikbare ruimte, om met maximaal 2 vertegenwoordigers naar het gesprek te komen.

"Adoption system encourages malpractice to look away"

Criminologist Elvira Loibl leaves no doubt about it. Adoption involves a market. "Children can easily become goods that you can remove from families or pick from the street. They are then often "laundered" by means of documents. Demographic, economic and judicial disparities exist between the country of demand and the country of supply that crime always lurks. "

In her dissertation "The transnational illegal adoption market", on which she obtained her PhD on Wednesday at Maastricht University, Loibl exposes the weaknesses in the Dutch and German adoption systems. Moreover, it comes with recommendations for improvements.

The scientist who grew up in Austria also pays considerable attention to the long-standing story about adoption in the West. "The great belief in huge numbers of children that must be saved," Loibl calls it. "While that orphan crisis in the countries of origin is not nearly as great as we assume. Many children do have parents, but they put them - sometimes temporarily - in institutions for various reasons. Many street children have parents who also live on the street. And supply and demand do not always match: young, healthy babies are the most wanted, but most orphans are older and sometimes have a disability. "

How is it that this story is so deeply rooted in thinking?

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019

IAC 455-458 Results

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 455 which was held on March 7, 2019:

1) Greek dossier from April 2012 referred a male child aged 1 year and 7 months

2) French dossier from January 2015 referred a female child aged 1 year and 5 months with features in health status and a family history

Adoptions were not always "in the best interest of the child"

It is not easy for adopted children to find out the story behind their adoption. Prakash Goossens believes that there is a need for independent historical research in Flanders.

Belgian by adoption from India

Testimonials about fraud concerning adoption documents of Ethiopian and Indian children, an Unicef ??interim director who has to step aside because of "irregularities in the adoption of children from Guatemala" (DS May 13): heavy accusations have recently been made against of adoption services and to the Flemish Community. A "exchange of views" about fraudulent adoptions took place last week in the Flemish Parliament. The conclusion was to acknowledge the testimonials, to extend aftercare for adopted persons and to set up an "expert panel" that investigates irregularities and places them in a historical perspective. Competent Flemish minister Jo Vandeurzen (CD&V) referred to a similar investigation to historical (sexual) abuse in relationships of trust. He also referred to the research conducted on forced adoptions and the harrowing treatment of metis in the colonial period.

Why is that demand for openness just now? No one can give a ready-made answer, not even after the hastily convened session in parliament. It seems that everyone is doing their best, but nobody wants to take full responsibility.

AHMEDABAD: In a strange case, a 39-year-old man, a resident of Vadaj, approached the Gujarat high court seeking custody of his just 3-year-old daughter, who was abandoned by his ex-wife and the child’s mother, at an orphanage in Nadiad.

After hearing the case, Justice V P Patel on Monday stayed the Matruchhaya Orphanage in Nadiad and the superintendent of the Children’s Home, Kheda (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Kheda), from initiating any adoption process for the child.

The HC intervened after the father placed before the court the ‘swaichhik parityag patra’ (deed of surrender) that the mother

signed while leaving the girl at the orphanage. One condition in on the deed says that the signatory who surrendered the child “understands that my child may be adopted by person(s) residing in India or abroad and give my/our consent for this purpose”. It also said that the mother would not object if

the child was handed over to anybody for adoption.