Adopted Sam sues state: 'I want my own date of birth in my passport'

ZEVENAAR - Sam van den Haak from Zevenaar, born in Sri Lanka, is suing the Dutch state. She was adopted in 1984, under false pretenses. “When I saw my adoption file, I was in shock.”

Together with twenty other adopted children, Van den Haak will send a letter to the Dutch state this week. Their adoption papers are forged, that is the conclusion of the Joustra Committee. The adoptions have caused them a lot of damage and they want to be compensated for that.

The date of birth in her passport is certainly not the day she was born, Sam learned from her Sri Lankan grandmother. To top it off, the date of birth in her passport is not the same one listed in her adoption file. "I feel sold and bought", says Sam.

She is working on a book about her life. Not born on my birthday, is the working title. "I think it is important that my story is told," says Sam She will be 40 in December of this year. Although, according to her passport, she celebrated her birthday earlier this month. "Future adoptive parents should learn from the mistakes made in the past. And I want my real date of birth in my passport."

How is it possible that these people passed the screening for adoption?

Sam van den Haak

Not a safe youth

Sam didn't have a safe childhood with her adoptive family. The people who adopted her had two disabled sons and a third son. They had their hands full with that, Sam looks back. "How is it possible that these people passed the screening for adoption," she wonders.

,,I always felt tension in the family, never felt at home there. My adoptive father abused me. As a little girl I crawled into bed with my parents. I liked to cuddle and was looking for love. It wasn't until I got a boyfriend that I understood that you don't do certain things with your father. I felt really bad about that for years. And guilty, because I thought I was the one who caused the abuse.”

Mother passed away

She was 17 when she was kicked out of the house by her adoptive father, Sam says: ,,The situation was untenable, there was constant fighting. Fortunately, I was able to visit a friend during that period. I had decided that I would first complete my studies and then look for my family in Sri Lanka. After my study in orthopedagogy, I came into contact with Siri Silva, who helps adopted children in their search for their biological parents.”

My grandmother was my mother. I was able to hold her very tight

Sam van den Haak

“When I arrived in Sri Lanka in 2006, he immediately said that all my adoption papers were false. I was lucky," she says. "My biological mother had given my adoptive mother a note with her home address in Beruwela, my native village. "It's around the corner from us," Siri said when he saw the address. coincidence. My mother had passed away. My grandmother and my half-brother were still alive.”

'Extremely grateful'

In her living room is a picture of Sam and her grandmother. “For the first few years of my life, she took care of me. I do not know my biological father, my mother was often not there. My grandmother was my mother. I was able to hold her very tightly. Moreover, she told me when I was born. I am extremely grateful for that.”

'Strong outcome'

It is now established that mistakes were made in the adoption of children from Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The Joustra Committee investigated the role and responsibility of the Dutch government in adoptions from 1967 to 1998.

This involved child trafficking, forgery and theft of documents, child theft and the transfer of children to the Netherlands under false pretenses, the Commission noted. commission of inquiry. "A fierce outcome," says lawyer Mark de Hek. De Hek represents the interests of 21 adopted children, including Sam van den Haak.

I don't have a family to fall back on

Sam van den Haak

Compensation

This week a letter will be sent to the Dutch state, with an extrajudicial request. De Hek: ,,We want recognition for the suffering suffered. That's hard to fix. There are people who don't know who their parents are. They went to Sri Lanka to track down their biological family.

“That was not possible because there are errors in their adoption file. That caused them emotional damage. We request compensation for all costs incurred. For search trips to the country of birth, for DNA tests, for mental help. If the state responds negatively to our letter, legal proceedings will follow.”

Sam made five trips to her native country. The first time she stayed for half a year. ,,After that period I knew: I don't belong here either. I am displaced. I am very happy with my son. I am also very grateful for the love between us. But I don't have a family to fall back on. My adoptive family was not the stable foundation it should have been.”

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