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Pregnant, homeless, what now?’ The search for a safe place to abandon a baby

Each year, women make the desperate decision to abandon their babies. Specially designed ‘baby windows’ can help – but some argue they make matters worse


When Romina discovered she was pregnant in 2021, she was 39 years old and homeless, without a euro to her name. She did what many a lonely and frightened woman has done throughout history, on learning that she was going to have a baby, and pretended she wasn’t. “If you don’t think about it, it doesn’t exist – something like that,” she told me, more than three years on.

By the time she noticed the changes in her body, she had been homeless for nearly seven years. Before that, she had lived a comfortable, secure life in The Hague, with a man she had fallen passionately in love with. But the man had become controlling, she said, preventing her from working or seeing her friends, spying on her and eventually threatening her if she left him.

 

She left him anyway, one night around Christmas 2014, and so opened a very dark chapter in a life that, to hear Romina, had already known its fair share of darkness – her parents’ divorce when she was three; years of sexual abuse at the hands of a stepfather; her mother’s many suicide attempts, the last of which, in 2009, succeeded; estrangement from her two half-siblings; and separation from her two sons (one of whom was just a toddler) after she entered into that last, abusive relationship, leaving them with their fathers.

Updated: Melania Trump wrote letter to Putin about protecting children

Updated: Melania Trump wrote letter to Putin about protecting children


Editor's Note: This article was updated with additional details after U.S. President Donald Trump published the letter to social media on Aug. 17.

U.S. First Lady Melania Trump wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin concerning Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children as he arrived in Alaska to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, Reuters reported on Aug. 16.

Trump handed the letter to Putin during the two leaders' nearly three-hour meeting on Aug. 15, two White House officials told Reuters. While the officials did not specify the letter's contents, they said it raised the plight of Russia kidnapping Ukrainian children.

Trump later published the full letter to his social media platform Truth Social on Aug. 17 in response to criticism of his meeting with Putin.

"Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their hearts, whether born randomly into a nation's rustic countryside or a magnificent city-center. They dream of love, possibility and safety from danger," the letter begins.

Man’s right to privacy cannot override child’s right to know who his father is: P&H High Court

"Justice to this child is a factor not to be ignored. Rather, his assertion demands that truth be known, when truth has to be established, as it undoubtedly can," the Court said.


The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently held that a man's right to privacy cannot override the right of a child to know the identity of his father.

Justice Archana Puri passed the ruling while dismissing a revision petition that had challenged a trial court’s decision to allow a child’s plea for the comparison of his DNA sample with that of a man he claims to be his father.

Justice to this child/plaintiff, is a factor, not to be ignored. Rather, his assertion demands that truth be known, when truth has to be established, as it undoubtedly can. Simultaneously, the right of defendant No.1 [man claimed to be father] to privacy and dignity, also has to be taken into consideration. However, the right of privacy, as such, cannot override the right of the child and vest interest in his favour,” the Court said.


However, the High Court added that the trial court's directive to allow the use of police force to ensure that there is no resistance by the defendant when his DNA sample is taken, was unnecessary.

70-Year-Old Uttarakhand Man Rapes & Impregnates Granddaughter, Gives Up Baby For Adoption | India News - News18

The man assaulted his minor granddaughter who came to care for his ailing wife, resulting in her pregnancy. He then gave the child she bore up for adoption


A shocking and distressing incident has emerged from Udham Singh Nagar district in Uttarakhand. A 70-year-old man has been accused of raping his minor granddaughter, who was brought along by his daughter after her marriage. The crime came to light when the girl’s stepmother reported the ordeal to the authorities.

According to reports, the girl had initially come to care for her ailing step-grandmother, but the grandfather harboured sinister intentions towards her. Over time, he sexually assaulted her, resulting in pregnancy. The situation worsened when the victim gave birth to a child, whom the accused then gave up for adoption.

The victim, terrified by threats from her step-grandfather, remained silent for a long period. However, she eventually confided in her stepmother, who then informed the family.


 

Adoption law frustrating, needs to be simplified: Supreme Court - Times of India

NEW DELHI: Noting that the present adoption law is too cumbersome and frustrating for adoptive parents, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said the procedure needed to be streamlined and simplified to encourage childless couples to take the legal route to adopt rather than doing it illegally.
 

A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and K V Viswanathan, which was hearing a case on the menace of child trafficking in the country, said people take illegal routes to adopt children as the adoption process takes years. It said not having children is a social stigma and such parents "want a child badly but the process is cumbersome".

The total number of adoptions crossed 4,500 in 2025-26 as of March 31, the highest in 11 years.

Average waiting period for adopting kids is 3.5 years


However, for many prospective adoptive parents (PAPs), the process of adopting a child continues to be a challenge with an average of 3.5 years waiting period for those seeking infants and young children. The Central Adoption Resource Authority (Cara) dashboard shows there are over 36,616 PAPs across various categories registered to adopt while the number of children available for adoption is merely 2,756.

"The present adoption process is taking too long. Parents want a child badly but the process is cumbersome and frustrating for them," SC said.

It added the existing flaw in the system was reflected in a case that was decided by it a day before, in which four parents from Telangana had adopted children, but not as per the procedure laid down by law, and police thereafter took away custody. The court allowed the plea of the four adoptive parents and restored custody of the children - aged between a few months and three years - to them by invoking its extraordinary power under Article 142 of the Constitution.

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Komal Sakpal (in the picture), who has been in ASHA's OSI sponsorship program since she was in the 5th Grade (2015), was recently recruited by the Anand Group of companies in their Satara branch. In 2021, ASHA recommended Komal for the Anand Group's scholarship in mechanical engineering diploma course for deserving girls from socio-economically deprived backgrounds. With the scholarship, she completed the mechanical engineering diploma course from Marathwada polytechnic college in Kalewadi with 81%. Komal will complete her degree course along with her job.

Komal lives in Janata Vasahat near Parvati Payatha. Her father, a daily wage worker who suffers from night blindness, is not a very active worker, while her mother is a domestic help. As part of OSI's sponsorship program Komal received assistance not only for studies and tuition classes but also for health, nutrition and other activities. Komal has always been a bright and sincere student and had scored 87% in the SSC exam in June 2021. Through Limitless Child International, Komal participated in a STEM focused summer camp for 3 years where she participated in various hands-on learning activities and helped to start a weekly club focused on “deep-dives” into various topics ranging from life drawing to composting and organic gardening, to dance, Also good at sports, she played in inter-school Khokho matches. Besides, she also participated in football organized by ASHA through the International non-profit organization Limitless Child International. Recognizing her abilities in sports, ASHA supported her football coaching, leading her to play at the district level.

Workshop: Adoption Commission's proposal

Workshop: Adoption Commission's proposal

PlaceDistance

Are you adopted and want to influence the future of adoptee rights? Participate in a digital workshop with the Swedish Koreans Rights Group (SKRG), the National Organization of Transnational Adoptees (TAR) and the Swedish University of Applied Sciences.

Workshop on the Commission's proposal

Welcome to the website for the Special Advocate for Survivors of Institutional Abuse

Welcome to the website for the Special Advocate for Survivors of Institutional Abuse

This is your space to be heard, to connect, and to ensure your experiences inform Ireland’s path forward. We stand ready to amplify your voice and bring your perspectives directly to government.

Patricia Carey is the Special Advocate for Survivors of Institutional Abuse

Patricia was appointed to the role in March 2024 by the Irish Government.

In this role, Patricia’s focus is to ensure a strong and amplified voice for those affected by institutional abuse and forced family separation.

The U.S. intercountry adoption system has failed

It's time for a complete overhaul


OPINION:

In releasing its latest annual report to Congress on intercountry adoptions, the State Department claimed last month on X that intercountry adoption remains “viable, ethical, and transparent.” A year earlier, it praised its team for working “tirelessly” on behalf of families. Yet the numbers and the outcomes for children tell a different story.

What the report doesn’t say outright is this: In fiscal year 2024, the U.S. processed the fewest intercountry adoptions in our recorded history. The report also fails to mention that, despite our government having far fewer adoptions to process, the length of time processing cases has dramatically increased, forcing children to stay in orphanages for months and often years longer than necessary.

The State Department’s 2024 Annual Report on Intercountry Adoption confirms what advocacy groups, adoptive families and child welfare experts already know: The intercountry adoption system is deeply broken, and minor tweaks won’t suffice. A sweeping redesign built on genuine bilateral partnerships and a child-centered strategy is urgently needed.