Six adopted Congolese children arrive in Belgium

Six Congolese orphans who were adopted by Belgian families arrived in Brussels today after months of being held in limbo in Kinshasa. The Congolese authorities kept the children in the country’s capital since November following a Congolese moratorium on adoptions, according to Foreign Minister Didier Reynders.

“Several diplomatic efforts with the Congolese government have paid off,” said Reynders, who has said that he understands that the local authorities want to make sure the adoptions are in the best interest of the children, but reiterates that Belgium follows stringent and strict procedures when it comes to adoption. The children left Kinshasa yesterday aboard a Brussels Airlines flight, and arrived this morning in Zaventem.

The Congolese government established the moratorium on international adoptions in November because of suspicion of fraud and human trafficking. Unable to take their children home, seven adoptive parents were temporarily stuck in the Congolese capital, despite favourable court rulings in Belgium and the DRC. A Belgian woman who ended up in jail after trying to flee the country with her adoptive child is still detained, reports VRT.

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