Adoptiekinderen die kat de bel aanbonden blijven met wrang gevoel zitten bij onderzoek naar fraude

Adoption children who rang the bell remain puzzled when investigating fraud

After testimonials about fraud with adoptions from Ethiopia, the Minister of Welfare promises Jo Vandeurzen (CD&V) an investigation. Adinda Aelvoet and Priyani Libert remain with a wry feeling behind. "Because they are almost elections, our politicians are now in motion. Then we

came out with our adoption story a year and a half ago, nothing happened. " On Saturday, 17-year-old Thereza De Wannemaeker testified in Het Laatste Nieuws Denderleeuw about her fraudulent adoption from Ethiopia in 2009. According to the official her biological mother had disappeared and her father had died. Discovered later Thereza that none of that story was true.

In recent days, fifteen more testimonials have been received from the newspaper about suspected adoption fraud. Spin in the web is the adoption agency Ray of Hope (RoH), that from 1997 to 2017 cooperated with a completely unreliable Ethiopian according to the testimonials

contact. Flemish Member of Parliament Lorin Parys (N-VA) wants an extra session of even before the elections the Flemish Parliament about the possible fraudulent adoptions. He argues for a "profound." and independent research. " Jo Vandeurzen is also Flemish Minister for Welfare favors such a study of past adoption practices.

Baby farms in Sri Lanka

Adinda Aelvoet and Priyani Libert, adoptive children from Sri, provide that sudden decisiveness Lanka who rang the bell in this newspaper a year and a half ago, a wry feeling. “Now that it is almost elections, our politicians are starting to move. But then we started last year When our adoption story came out, nothing happened. "

On January 27, 2018, Aelvoet and Libert testified about their own in the weekend supplement "Zeno" suspected fraudulent adoption from Sri Lanka in the 1980s They came to their biological parents a few years ago via Kind en Gezin and Steunpunt Adoption with RoH’s local contact Sunil Wijewardena. Between 1997 and In 2011 he arranged all 49 adoptions from Sri Lanka for RoH.

In the following years, the adoption service also called him in for the "aftercare". Adoptive children who just as Aelvoet and Libert were looking for their biological parents, Wijewardena entrusted. On September 27, 2017, this newspaper revealed that Wijewardena closely in the 80s was involved in large-scale adoption fraud by the Dutch FLASH Foundation. Of the thousands of Sri Lankan babies who arrived in the Netherlands through that adoption agency in the 1980s adopted, 70 percent of the papers were found to be forged. Children were robbed of their parents and resold for big money. At baby farms even became adopted children "Cultured". Wijewardena was then responsible for transporting the adopted children of FLASH.

No reason for an investigation

In response to our reporting, Lorin Parys asked on October 10, 2017 in the Commission for Welfare, Public Health and Family more explanation to Vandeurzen. The minister replied that there was no evidence of fraud and therefore no reason for one

investigation.

Adinda Aelvoet: “According to him, one of Jo Vandeurzen's arguments was everything was changed. RoH started in 1994. Vandeurzen stated that at that time intercountry adoption was much stricter than in the 1980s. That RoH and Steunpunt Adoption until at least 2017 with a figure like Wijewardena worked together, Vandeurzen thought no problem. "" There is no objection to a Flemish service cooperating with someone who also works with a

Dutch licensed service is working together, "he said in the Welfare Commission. That "Dutch licensed service" was the FLASH Foundation, which will be in the spring of 2017 Dutch TV was unmasked as a large-scale scammer in adoptions. The adoption of Thereza De Wannemaeker dates from 2009. In reality, there has been since the 1980s, nothing changed at all. "

Priyani Libert was adopted in Sri Lanka in 1984 and wanted to look for it in 2015 her biological parents. “I asked Child and Family for help. They forwarded my file to Ray of Hope, because the adoption service had a contact person in Sri Lanka, specialized in tracing biological parents: Sunil Wijewardena. “In two weeks he found my alleged biological parents. Child and Family invited me to view Sunil's research. It consisted of a few photos with my so-called biological parents posed with him. Copies of proof of identity or other official documents were missing.

“Sunil's bill was 450 euros, or two Sri Lankan monthly wages. I paid that through Child and Family. First, Sunil claimed that my nine new brothers and sisters were mine were aware. He later said they didn't know about my existence. A DNA investigation was dismissed. "Money" was the only one in which my so-called organic parents seemed interested. At the end of 2016 I broke off all contact. ”

Adinda Aelvoet: “I find it incomprehensible that Child and Family and Adoption Support Center continued to work with Sunil Wijewardena from RoH at least until the end of 2017. Perhaps they still work together, because an official cancellation has never been announced.

“After my particularly bad experiences with Sunil in 2013, I said he was totally unsuitable was for organizing and guiding roots travel. He was only after money tried to manipulate us. The adoption coach of Steunpunt Adoptie said she wasn't doing well of wax. Yet no action was taken and they continued to work with him. Minister Vandeurzen announced in October 2017 that RoH would have an integrity investigation carried out for Wijewardena to carry out. Has that really been the case, what are the results and is this still being invoked?

What is being done about that man? I would like to know that. "

Chairwoman with two caps

A few days after her testimony in this newspaper, Aelvoet received an email from the director of Steunpunt Adoptie. "She offered me aftercare interviews and wrote that she was working on the start up buddy operation for adopted persons. "This is much too late for me," I replied. There was no investigation into my own file: I was expected to do it myself first provided the evidence for fraud. What the world is upside down, because I just want one investigation to find out whether fraud has been committed. "

Libert was invited by Kind en Gezin for an interview. “There would also be Flemish Member of Parliament Katrien Schryvers (CD&V) attending. She chairs the council of board of RoH and is vice-president of the Flemish parliamentary committee for Welfare, Public Health and Family. I thought it strange that she, as RoH chairwoman, joined my conversation with Child and Family. I got the uncomfortable feeling that she was me wanted to spawn. That's why I let that conversation pass me by. "

“Because Schryvers is also the chairwoman of RoH, she had to be aware of that committee meeting of October 10, 2017 pass her gavel on to a colleague of the N-VA, ”Aelvoet knows. “The committee that sets out the adoption policy becomes therefore led by someone who is chairman of the board of directors of an adoption agency. Isn't that crazy for words? ”

“Child and Family suggested having my file carved out by the Central Adoption Authority in Sri Lanka, but I have absolutely no faith in that, "says Libert. “Because it was just there ever wrong with my adoption: that Central Authority was one of the players in the fraud. I had to have my adoption file examined by a perpetrator. I kind of like that thanks."

Not everyone counts

The problems with adoption in Sri Lanka, Congo and Ethiopia are according to Aelvoet and Libert no isolated cases. “Just like in the Netherlands, there is a lot going on with us 70s a red line of deception, "says Aelvoet. "The Dutch government takes that seriously and has established a committee that conducts in-depth research into all forms of adoption scam. Vague promises are now made with us after Ethiopia. All that dawdling is a consequence of that close entanglement with politics. " “After our testimonials, we heard many similar stories from acquaintances who were also from Sri Lanka have been adopted, "says Libert. “But they are afraid of the impact of the media attention. After Ethiopia we can assume that there will be more intercountry adoptions from RoH. That should at least be investigated?

“We asked for an investigation into all Sri Lanka files and received from the committee Welfare and from Minister Vandeurzen zero on the petition. That arrived hard. Two weeks ago I had the honor to meet Michelle Obama in Amsterdam. If I do one thing of it taught her, it is that everyone counts. As minister Vandeurzen it is the Ethiopian have adoption files examined, but the Sri Lankan ignores it will be for us are as if not everyone counts here. "

Everything is on loose screws

“When the adoption fraud in Sri Lanka came to light a year and a half ago, the ground under my feet, "says Aelvoet. “As an adopted child you know little about you origin. If serious adoption fraud comes to light, you are completely hit destabilized. Because suddenly everything is going wild. Your identity again becomes one big question mark.

“To protect myself, I tried to close that story. But as long as there is no big research into our adoption history is difficult. Now there is news about it

Ethiopia, and in a few months it might be about adoption fraud from another country. We are confronted with this every time. That is very painful, and I want others protect adoptees from this. “That is why there is more than ever a need for a truth commission on adoption without

taboos. As long as it is not there, it never stops. "

Ray of Hope: hobbyist becomes top player

The organization Ray of Hope is central to the complaints about adoption files. Who is she, and what did her trail look like? The non-profit organization Ray of Hope was established in 1994 as Children’s Welfare Adoption in Berlare Guy De Meester and his wife. They imported rattan furniture from Asia and adopted themselves six children. De Meester still sits on the RoH board of directors.

At the outset, the inspection wrote negative reports, because RoH mainly focused on quick adoptions from Haiti. But Child and Family recognized the organization anyway. Guy gave in 2003. De Meester in Knack an explanation for the quick adoptions. “Our first channel happened to be many children immediately available. ”That" first channel "was Yva Samedy, director of the Foyer de la Nouvelle Vie, which supplied hundreds of adopted children to different countries.

In 1997 the inspection went on a mission to Haiti. In her report she wrote that the collaboration to stop Samedy immediately. Samedy was accused of financial fraud. Child and Family thought RoH could continue to work with her, provided she did

children who were really abandoned. In 2001, three families who adopted a Vietnamese child through RoH went to the judge. Their complaints: the documents were not in order and the contact person was not competent.

After a report in Telefacts about RoH-approved adoptions in Vietnam, the organization its recognition in December 2002. RoH went to the Council of State and got in 2004 the same.

From 2004 to 2014, former Minister of Welfare was Wivina Demeester (CD&V) Chairman of the RoH Board of Directors. On January 2, 2016 she took part in an opinion piece in the newspaper De Standaard renouncing intercountry adoption. In 1974, she adopted an Indian herself girl. She no longer thought foreign adoption a good idea because of the waiting time and the cost price. She also stated that the three still existing intercountry adoption services (RoH, FIAC-Horizon and Het Kleine Mirakel) best as one service for foreign adoption

would merge.

In 2014, Flemish CD & V member of parliament Katrien Schryvers took over the RoH chairmanship Wivina Demeester about. Schryvers is also vice-president of the parliamentary Commission for Welfare, Public Health and Family, which also deals with adoption. In the council RoH's executive board also houses Wilfried Verniest, among others. From 1987 to his retirement in 2012, he was a member of the Child and Family board. Just like Wivina Demeester argued Schryvers for one unified subsidized foreign adoption service.

At the beginning of April this year, the Flemish government decided that from January 1, 2023 the three adoption services will merge into one. The available financial resources, knowledge and expertise must then be bundled. N-VA MP Lorin Parys welcomed that decision, but nevertheless had some reservations in De Standaard on 8 April.

"Every adoption service represents a certain philosophy of life," he said. “It is not the intention that one of those beliefs will take the lead, but that the unified service is pluralistic. It is also impossible for a representative of the people to chair it is becoming. Because in parliament you check the Flemish center for adoption, that is used up turn controls you as chairman of an adoption organization. "

Dutch original paper attached as PDF.

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