In a growing number of countries, inquiries into past intercountry adoptions take place that identify systemic abuses and irregularities and conclude that adoption stakeholders encouraged or facilitated illegal intercountry adoptions. However, so far, the response from these stakeholders has been inadequate in addressing the profound human rights violations endured by those affected by illegal adoptions. Despite the growing movement of adoptees advocating for justice on behalf of themselves and their birth families and communities, adoption stakeholders in both sending and receiving countries have remained largely passive, lacking a coherent strategy to confront and rectify illegal intercountry adoptions. This inertia is exacerbated by the wide gap in adequate regulations regarding remedies and reparations for illegal intercountry adoptions

Facing the Past: Policies and Good Practices for Responses to Illegal Intercountry Adoptions aims to fill this critical gap by offering insights and recommendations to guide the process of reconciliation. Bringing together the contributions from scholars from various disciplines and adoptees themselves, this volume presents and discusses actionable measures that adoption stakeholders in both sending and receiving countries can employ to address the injustices inflicted upon victims of illegal intercountry adoptions. Targeting a diverse audience, including academics, policymakers, and adoption stakeholders, the book seeks to foster a path toward healing and accountability within the complex terrain of intercountry adoption.

Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) writes to various authorities, seeking action on these sensitive issues raised by O Heraldo in its reports published on December 29 and 30, 2023

Exercise caution over registering births, GSCPCR tells Directorate of Panchayats, Municipal Administration

GSCPCR has issued a series of directions to the DoP and DMA as to what steps should be taken

MARGAO: The Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) has written to the Directors of the Directorate of Panchayat (DoP) and Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) asking them to exercise caution in registering births at panchayats and municipalities amidst surge in unlawful adoptions.

In that regard, GSCPCR has issued a series of directions to the DoP and DMA as to what steps should be taken.

The High Court of Justice rules unanimously in a groundbreaking decision that same sex couples may adopt children, under the terms of the 1981 law on adoption.

Current law states that only “a man and his wife together” can adopt children, which has for the most part meant that only heterosexual couples have been able to adopt, although same-sex couples have been able to do so in rare circumstances.

In its ruling, the court notes that it had dismissed a previous petition on the issue in 2017 because the government at the time promised to amend the legislation which gave preference to heterosexual couples.

Acting Supreme Court President Uzi Vogelman points out in his ruling that this legislation was never completed and that the state has said there is no horizon for doing so.

Vogelman deploys the judicial doctrine of “interpretation” to re-read the 1981 law in order to understand the language as allowing two people in a committed relationship to adopt children, as opposed to a specifically heterosexual couple.

As per the findings of the GSCPCR, middlemen identify vulnerable families -- particularly those residing on the streets or facing financial hardship -- as potential targets in the child adoption game. 

Urges childless couples to follow legal adoption procedures and collaborate with adoption agencies

The Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has issued an advisory regarding the alarming rise in unlawful adoption practices.

It has identified a concerning trend, especially in South Goa, where childless couples are involved in unauthorised adoption practices, posing significant risks to the well-being of vulnerable children.

The commission says that unlawful adoption practices present a substantial challenge, involving the bypassing of established legal procedures.

Thiruvananthapuram ∙ Mother Anupama S. Chandran came to the Navakerala audience and filed a complaint against the adoption of the child by the Child Welfare Committee without her knowledge. Yesterday, Anupama and her husband Ajith came to the Navakerala Assembly in Vattiyoorkau and lodged a complaint demanding strict action to be taken against the culprits. 

Anupama protest was held at the Child Welfare Committee and the Secretariat to get the baby released. Anupama's baby was taken back from Andhra after it was found that the adoption procedure was not followed. The government promised to take action against the culprits when the strike ends. It was announced 2 years ago that the police will investigate the incident and take departmental action. However, the complaint states that the government has not fulfilled this promise so far

"Past abuses should not make adoption from abroad impossible." This is what prospective adoptive parents Marjolein and Kris say after the decision by Minister of Welfare Hilde Crevits (CD&V) to temporarily suspend intercountry adoption. Gitte, herself adopted from Guatemala, disagrees: "Child trafficking will always exist." What should happen next?

Kris and Marjolein are candidate adoptive parents. They are in the final stages of their adoption process. Because Kris himself was adopted from India, the couple chose India as their country of origin.

“We could probably have a baby of our own. But we consciously choose adoption. We believe it is important to welcome a child who has little or no chance of a quality life into our family. We made the specific choice for a child with special needs. Their future is even worse in their country of origin. We can provide minor medical procedures that are very expensive in India in Belgium.”

Many more rules

“A lot of things have changed for the better in the last 30 or 40 years. I am a living example of that,” says Kris. “Two years after my adoptive parents started their procedure, they had me. I was a perfectly healthy 8 month old baby. That situation could never arise again.”

Former Ambassador Susan Jacobs spent much of her career in diplomacy focused on international children's issues, including a position as the United States’ first Special Advisor for International Children's Issues, helping to uphold The Hague Conventions on adoptions and abductions. In this episode, Jacobs joins Annelise Riles to talk about her career in the foreign service, as one of the first married women to become a foreign service officer, and her work as it relates to United Nations Sustainable Development goal number 16, which includes targets related to protecting children.

We need to be working with countries so that children aren't pushed to the borders, that they have opportunities in their own countries that will enable them to have full, productive lives. And I think that our aid programs should be geared more towards helping children be protected and protecting their security so that they don't have to come to the border.”

– Susan Jacobs, Former Special Advisor for Children’s Issues, Department of State

Background reading:

Adoption Support Center believes it is important to support aftercare projects. That is why we launch an annual incentive call with which we want to give aftercare projects a substantive and financial boost. In October we launched the 2024 call. But how did the 2023 projects actually go? Earlier this year we provided an overview of the projects that emerged as winners during the previous round. As the end of the year approaches, it's time to take a look back at some of the completed projects! What did they organize and what motivated them to commit themselves to organizing it?

Diversity Beauty Wellbeing Day - by CAFE

CAFE is an interest group that brings together adult adoptees from all countries of origin, first parents and adoptive parents. People with a foster care background and donor children are also welcome with us. From a critical view of the enforcement of children's and human rights within the transnational adoption system, we stand up for the rights and well-being of our target group. We do this by thinking about policy regarding adoption, denouncing abuses, organizing informative events and contact with fellow sufferers.

With the help of the incentive from Support Center Adoption, we organized our annual Wellbeing Day, which this year had the theme "Diversity Beauty". Adoptees were informed about the care of all skin types and afterwards a make-up workshop was provided.

Giovanna Ricciardi • 3rd+Children’s Rights Specialist at International Social Service (ISS)Children’s Rights Specialist at International Social Service (ISS)1yr • 1 year ago • Visible to anyone on or off LinkedIn

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Last week I was delighted to represent the International Social Service (ISS) GS during the transnational roundtable on hashtag#kafalah in Paris in the framework of the Project FAMIMOVE. Together with Sandrine PEPIT - director of Droit d'Enfance (ISS France)- and Wiem Guedira - legal officer at Droit d'Enfance - FondationMéquignon (ISS France) – we joined the discussions on the challenges regarding the reception of hashtag#kafalah in legal systems that do not foresee this protection measure. Important insights on the Dutch system have been shared by Jolien Janse part of the FAMIMOVE Advisory Board, and the Dutch Central authority, as well as by Cécile Corso on the preparation of hashtag#kafils by the Femmes Informations Juridiques Internationales (FIJI).

This meeting has represented a great opportunity for the International Social Service (ISS) to recall the findings of its 2020 publication 'Kafalah - Preliminary analysis of national and cross-border practices' (available in French and English) and to propose possible avenues to ensure that hashtag#kafalah is indeed a child protection measure respectful of children’s rights, both domestically and across borders.

Thank you Fabienne Jault and Mayela Celis for having the International Social Service (ISS) on board!

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Macron slams ‘manhunt’ against Depardieu

French film star Gérard Depardieu still has some friends.

President Emmanuel Macron was interviewed on French TV channel France 5 | Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images

BY CLEA CAULCUTT