Denmark's only adoption agency receives a 'very serious' warning from the authority
The Danish adoption agency DIA receives harsh criticism from the Danish Appeals Board. The agency acknowledges errors.
Denmark's only mediator of adoptions from abroad, Danish International Adoption (DIA), has received harsh criticism for its handling of adoptions from Madagascar.
The criticism comes from the Danish Appeals Board, which continuously supervises DIA.
The warning is very serious, believes Stine Jørgensen, who is professor of social law at the University of Copenhagen and researches into, among other things, transnational adoptions.
According to the Danish Appeals Board, DIA has in a number of cases acted contrary to, among other things, the principles of the Hague Convention and the Adoption Act. And it happened against his better judgment, says an explanation of the process.
- The warning should cause the minister to consider whether there are grounds for revoking DIA's permission to provide adoption assistance, adds Stine Jørgensen.
Expert: Nobody must make money from sending children to Denmark
The Danish Appeals Agency's warning to DIA deals with a point that is one of the most principled aspects of adoption mediation, namely that no one may make money from adoptions.
It is, among other things, a number of money transfers that have led to the Appeals Board's unusually harsh criticism.
According to the agency, DIA has not ensured that "undue financial gain" can be made from adoptions from Madagascar.
- This means that there is a significant risk that the adoptions in this case have taken place in violation of Danish and international laws in the area, including that it cannot be denied that a payment has been made for the children involved , says Stine Jørgensen.
What is the Hague Convention?
The Hague Convention is a framework convention that sets the framework for all adoptions that take place across national borders. This means that Denmark, as a convention country, is obliged to ensure that international adoptions take place in accordance with the convention's principles. The overall purpose of the Hague Convention is to set up a guarantee to ensure that international adoptions take place in the best interest of the child, with respect for fundamental international rights, and thus, among other things, prevent child abductions, the sale of or trafficking in children.
Source: Danish Appeals Board
According to the rules, the Danish Appeals Board must know what the adoption agency DIA pays to authorities and individuals in other countries.
It is a requirement to prevent corruption and must at the same time ensure that the law in the individual countries and international conventions are observed.
- There must in no way be an incentive for anyone to make money from sending children to Denmark, says Stine Jørgensen.
An inspection of documents shows that DIA has transferred money to an account in Madagascar, to which DIA's contact person in the African state has had access.
Among other things, it concerns transfers of DKK 10,000 per month for administrative expenses and DKK 7,000 for each completed adoption to DIA's contact person in Madagascar.
The African state is one of the world's poorest countries, and there are also problems with extensive corruption, according to the organization Transparency International.
The adoption agency DIA was subsequently given the opportunity to collect documentation to explain further.
But after a month-long exchange of documents, the Danish Appeals Authority has now taken the next step and issued a warning.
- We at DIA take the warning we have received from the Danish Appeals Board very seriously, and we are in the process of reviewing our organization and tasks with a view to making sure that this does not happen again, says the adoption agency.
Questions about consent to adoption
The Danish Appeals Board's criticism also concerns two adoption cases from Madagascar.
In both cases, the children should have been adopted to Denmark, and two Danish couples were on a waiting list to receive them. Both adoptions were withdrawn.
In the one case that DR has previously described , the mother in Madagascar was a minor, which means stricter requirements for consent. DIA chose to withdraw the adoption itself.
What is the Appeals Board?
The Appeals Board is an agency under the Ministry of Social Affairs, Housing and the Elderly.
The Danish Appeals Board continuously and regularly supervises DIA, which mediates international adoptions. The supervision includes, among other things, DIA's operations in this country and in other countries.
The board is also a complaints authority - among other things in the social and employment areas.
The Danish Appeals Board must approve DIA's cooperation with foreign authorities and organizations in connection with the referral of children for international adoption.
Source: Danish Appeals Board
Tightened inspection with DIA
The warning now prompts the Danish Appeals Board to tighten supervision of DIA.
In four selected cases, the agency must present detailed accounts of payments as well as documentation that the rules have been complied with in the countries in question. This applies to cases from Thailand, the Czech Republic and Madagascar respectively.
Danish International Adoption (DIA)
The adoption agency, Danish International Adoption (DIA), is the only Danish mediation organization for international adoptions.
This means that if you want to adopt a child from abroad, it can only be done through DIA.
DIA is an independent, self-owned institution that is accredited by the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Elderly. The framework for DIA's work is regulated through a series of accreditation conditions between DIA and the Danish Appeals Board.
DIA was created through a merger in January 2015 of the two former adoption agencies Danasopt and AC Children's Aid.
DIA currently mediates adoptions from five countries: the Philippines, India, South Africa, Thailand and the Czech Republic. SOURCE: DIA's website.
According to Stine Jørgensen, it is good that there is now more focus on Denmark as a recipient country. But according to her, it's not just about the adoption agency.
- There is no doubt that here in Denmark we also have a responsibility to ensure that transnational adoptions take place in a fully responsible manner, says Stine Jørgensen and adds:
- I therefore also believe that there is a need to look at the system we as the recipient country have established. A system that for many years has been set up in a way that supports and provides incentives for transnational adoptions.
In DIA, the criticism is taken into account.
- We at DIA take the warning we have received from the Danish Appeals Board very seriously, and we are in the process of reviewing our organization and tasks in order to ensure that this does not happen again, reads a written response from DIA.