Adoption: Were instructed to lie in court
Adoption: Were instructed to lie in court
Police have investigated Danish adoptionsburo's methods in Ethiopia.
AT. 20:42
Alemsthay Degefu adopted her baby to Denmark, but she told BBC News how DanAdopt Ethiopian partner orphanage ENAT Alem, instructed her to lie in court, so the adoption could go through.
Written by: Line Gertsen and Ditte Bannor-Kristensen
Hitherto secret documents reveal now that the two major Danish adoption organizations DanAdopt and AC International Child's orphanage in Ethiopia have been police checked for cheating with children's papers for adoptions to go through.
Alemsthay Degefu be adopted her baby to Denmark, but she told BBC News how DanAdopt Ethiopian partner orphanage ENAT Alem, instructed her to lie in court, so the adoption could go through.
- From the Kebelekontor up to the right was the ENAT alems people who followed me and said what I had to say, and what I had to say, she says.
Several biological mothers who have given up for adoption children to Denmark, told BBC News that they were pressured to lie in court to adoptions could be approved.
Police are investigating methods
In 2009, notify the Ethiopian authorities spotlight on five orphanages where they suspect that there is cheating. One of the orphanages 'ENAT Alem' cooperate with DanAdopt. The second 'Edget Orphanage' work with AC International Child Support.
The judge in the study wrote in the documents that TV newspaper's possession:
- ... Now is the most adoption cases suddenly on foundlings. Most of the children are found in the same places and lodged at the same few orphanages.
Adoption is a big business
Therefore ask the judge police to investigate cases from five orphanages. Among other things, those who cooperate with the Danish adoption agencies.
Original separation process of children is a huge business in Ethiopia. When a child is adopted to Denmark cost, according to the latest available figures around 135,000 dollars. It goes almost 39,000 dollars to the Ethiopian orphanage, while about 33,000 kroner goes to the Ethiopian authorities.
According to the figures provided by ABC News's possession, according to a statement from January to mid-May 2009, the 78% of Ethiopian children to DanAdopt and AC were foundlings, while 22% is released.
Does not inform about the study
Every time a child bortadopteres from Ethiopia to Denmark to pay the Danish state - according to the available figures - an adoption subsidy of 48,458 kroner, but still choose the Danish adoption agencies to share their Ethiopian partners are police investigated for their methods.
- The authorities have since 2009 been aware that ENAT Alem was investigated, says the chairman of DanAdopt Lars Ellegaard.AC International Child Support After several inquiries declined to comment on the matter.
The rules tightened
As a result of the police investigation in Ethiopia are the rules for submitting foundlings tightened in May 2009, as foundlings now be handed over to the government orphanage in the capital Addis Ababa. But when it happens more than doubled the number of DanAdopt and AC International Child released children for adoption suddenly from 22% in 2009 to 48% in 2010, while the number of foundlings therefore falls accordingly and it amazes adoption researcher Merete Laubjerg:
- We have seen time and again that the papers are forged. And as soon as there is money involved, so we need to have extra attention to everything going as it should, she concludes.