Whistleblower claims hospital director colluded with ‘online intermediaries’ to sell birth certificates for about £10,750

Six people have been arrested in central China’s Hubei province over alleged involvement in a baby-trafficking ring linked to a hospital in one of the province’s biggest cities.

The allegations about Xiangyang Jianqiao hospital first came to light on 6 November via a Weibo user by the name of Shangguan Zhengyi, who describes himself as an “anti-trafficking volunteer”. Shangguan posted a series of claims about the hospital’s director, Ye Youzhi, whom he accused of colluding “with online intermediaries” to sell birth certificates for 96,000 yuan (£10,750).

Decision memorandum accompanying letter to Parliament about Woo decision on reports of discussions about the future of intercountry adoption

Woo request about meeting reports on the future of intercountry adoption

ore than 15 000 adoptions have taken place in South Africa in the past decade.

November is World Adoption month. The National Adoption Coalition of SA said that according to the UN, an estimated 260 000 adoptions take place worldwide each year.

The coalition said that based on statistics from the Department of Social Development, 15 068 adoptions were registered in South Africa from April 2010 to March 2020.

Many South African children grow up in families that face poverty, exposure to domestic violence, neglect, abuse, exploitation, lack of parental care, abandonment, unplanned crisis pregnancies, substance abuse and mental health issues.

Katinka Pieterse, chairperson of the coalition and CEO of Abba Specialist Adoptions and Social Services, said these children “should be entitled to responsive services to protect them and to return them or place them in a nurturing family environment”.

In France, people who were illegally adopted internationally are trying to make their voices heard by the courts. As this phenomenon does not currently constitute a criminal offence, the fight is likely to be difficult.

There are 120,000 children who have become French through international adoption between 1980 and today. A figure that is largely underestimated, without counting all the cases where the children arrived without a visa. So how many were there illegally? The question makes all those involved in adoption tremble. " We don't have precise figures on the number of illicit practices, we would have to do it case by case," notes Fábio Macedo, a doctor of history at the University of Angers.

The criminal response is also summary: "There is no specific law on illegal adoptions."  Joseph Breham, a criminal lawyer, firmly establishes this statement. He clarifies the legal situation in which people who have been adopted illegally find themselves.

"There is no specific law on illegal adoptions."

Joseph Breham, criminal lawyer

The lawyer has mastered this subject well to work, with his colleague, Noémie Saidi-Cottier, on the Malian case against the authorized adoption organization (OAA) "Le Rayon de soleil de l'enfant étranger". The establishment, which is said to be at the origin of several illegal adoptions between Mali and France, is currently the subject of an investigation after the lawyers of nine "adoptees", men and women who are sometimes well into their forties, filed a complaint for the offense of receiving stolen goods... All of them were adopted in France under an adoption regime that is not the same as in the country of birth; sometimes to the detriment of the wishes of the biological families. This goes hand in hand with the falsification of documents, false declarations and breach of trust by the parents. With no way of knowing their initial ties, these adoptees live in a biological void. "I know I have a brother, but no one wants to tell me ," complains Marie Marre, one of the plaintiffs in the Malian case and spokesperson for the movement [1].

"I think that at different stages of life, we need to continually adjust our commitments to find a balance that is aligned with our values and priorities."

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Mia Dambach, Co-Founder and Executive Director for Child Identity Protection, on her work as a children’s solicitor in Australia, why ensuring children’s identity protection worldwide is important and the role of her many backgrounds in her daily life.

Dear Mia, you have studied at University of Sydney were you did a Bachelor in Law and a Bachelor in Commerce with a triple major in accounting, marketing and economics before doing your Master of Laws (LL.M.). How did you end up volunteering at a local children’s court during your studies?

Geadopteerde Paula vindt haar tweelingzus in China

Vijf geadopteerde Nederlandse vrouwen gingen in China op zoek naar hun biologische ouders. De 23-jarige Paula Vrolijk vond haar familie en blijkt onderdeel van een eeneiige tweeling.

Cindy Huijgen9 november 2023

“Ze lijken als twee druppels water op elkaar”, zegt een oom, die net aan de lunchtafel is komen aanschuiven. Paula Vrolijk en haar tweelingzus Yiling Zheng kijken elkaar glimlachend aan. Ze hebben de opmerking van diverse familieleden gehoord sinds ze elkaar 24 uur geleden voor het eerst ontmoetten. De twee hebben dezelfde neus, dezelfde voortanden en hun oren hebben dezelfde vorm.

BLIJF OP DE HOOGTE

Taking all the necessary legal steps, they officially welcomed the child into their lives in 2018, having adopted her from the Nishkam Seva Ashram, an institution under the Government of Punjab.

KOCHI: After the untimely demise of their only son in a car accident in 2017, an elderly couple from Thiruvananthapuram found themselves grappling with intense loneliness and emotional trauma. Seeking solace and a new purpose in life, they made the difficult decision to embrace parenthood once again through adoption.

Realising the complexities and intricacies involved in the adoption process in Kerala, they approached a centre in Punjab, where they discovered a 12-year-old girl who captured their hearts. Taking all the necessary legal steps, they officially welcomed the child into their lives in 2018, having adopted her from the Nishkam Seva Ashram, an institution under the Government of Punjab.

However, their hopes took an unexpected turn as the adoption process brought them immense mental anguish, ultimately leading them to contemplate returning her to the place of adoption. 

The reason: The girl, hailing from North India, struggled to accept the couple as her parents. 
Driven by an unwavering desire to return to her roots, the girl’s firm stance left the couple with no choice but to make the painful decision, placing her under the care and protection of a child care centre in Thiruvananthapuram. They moved a petition before the Kerala High Court seeking a directive to the Thiruvananthapuram district collector to take steps to annul the adoption. 

KOCHI: Petition of a couple from Thiruvananthapuram in the High Court to cancel the adoption as they could not get along with their adopted daughter. The High Court directed the Thiruvananthapuram District Legal Service Authority Secretary to give a detailed report after talking to the girl. The plea will be heard again on November 17. Retired Justice Devan Ramachandran is considering a petition filed by a government official and his wife.

The only son of the petitioners died in a car accident on January 14, 2017  The petitioners say that the death of their 23-year-old son left them weak and they decided to adopt a child to overcome the grief. A 13-year-old girl was legally adopted on February 16, 2018, from Nishkam Seva Ashram in Ludhiana, Punjab due to a delay in adoption from Kerala. They provided educational and all other facilities to the child. The petition also states that the girl from North India is unable to accept them as her parents. As there was no reconciliation, the child was placed under the care of the Thiruvananthapuram Child Welfare Committee on 29 September 2022. When the girl grew up, she was transferred to the Swadar home. The couple's demand is to cancel the adoption process and send the child back to the ashram in Ludhiana. A petition was filed earlier in the High Court for this purpose. However, the petition was disposed of on December 12, 2022, directing action to be taken under the Adoption Regulations, 2017. This year the central government revised the adoption regulation. According to this, action should be taken to cancel the adoption through the District Collector. An application was made to the Collector but no action was taken. The Ashram in Ludhiana was also unwilling to take the child back. The couple approached the High Court again. The government counsel informed the High Court that the girl said that she was staying at the Swadar home because her parents did not want her to stay with them. The High Court then ordered the district legal service authority secretary to talk to the girl and submit a report. 

Grief of the couple Sometimes the child shows violent behaviour and will close the room and sit inside without eating. The child herself has said many times that before we adopted her, another North Indian family adopted her and they cancelled the adoption and returned her to the ashram. She had told us that she was not interested in studying in Kerala and wanted to study in the Hindi region. We took her to a higher secondary school run by Malayali teachers in Madhya Pradesh. The violence continued there also. Finally, we brought her back as requested by the principal. In 2021, she attacked my wife and tried to leave the house. After that mental health treatment had to be given. (From the application made by the parent to the chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee for adoption of the child)

•  Katie Tidmarsh is due to be sentenced tomorrow for the shocking crime
•  Baby Ruby Thompson died in August 2012 after suffering brain damage

A mother has been found guilty of murdering her adopted baby daughter – more than a decade after the child's death.

There were gasps in the public gallery as a jury found Katie Tidmarsh, now 39, guilty by majority verdict of causing catastrophic head injuries consistent with shaking and a 'high-energy impact' to Ruby Thompson in August 2012.

Jurors heard Ruby suffered brain damage which led to a cardiac arrest. She died two days after she was admitted to hospital.

Subsequent medical investigations revealed Ruby had a large skull fracture, as well as bleeding in the brain, the spinal canal, and both eyes – suggesting 'abusive trauma'.