Email from JCICS about corruption in the DRC

I received an Email from Joint Council about corruption in the DRC. This is really frustrating because if not stopped it will ultimately lead to the closure of programs in the DRC.

I would hope that US agencies, take this seriously and work to prevent this from happening. Otherwise orphans will suffer. I get that in the DRC (and other places) folks there operate under a different system than ours, but it takes 2 and I would hope that US agencies would work to prevent this as much as they could.

Here is the mail.

A team from Wasatch International Adoption Agency has just returned from the DRC. While we were there, we had a visit with the vice consular officer.

He explained to us that, due to serious concerns about how some children become available, they are going to do more in-depth investigations, hence the new 3-6 month investigation period. He said that the State Dept. feels that DRC can be corrupt, and agencies and independents may be falling into situations where they pay an office or person to acquire a child for placement. He said that in their investigations, if they find any instance of that, they will shut down the Congo program, and he thinks that this is a good possibility.

We are writing this and encouraging agencies to forward it around so that all agencies with programs in DRC can take extra precautions to make sure the children they are getting are not putting any tips or incentives into anyone’s pockets. The government offices in DRC are not necessarily above taking part in these unsavory practices. If a Congolese government office takes incentives, in the State Department’s eyes, it is the same as paying someone on the street for a child. It is up to each agency to make certain that they keep their program clear of corruption. Only in doing this will the State Dept. keep DRC open for adoptions.

Again please forward this to agencies who are not JC members so we can all work together to keep DRC open to adoptions. None of us wants yet one more country program to close.

Cyndi Peck

Wasatch International Adoption Agency

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