Havenwood Academy (2014-present) Cedar City, UT

Residential Treatment Center

History and Background Information

Havenwood Academy (also called Havenwood South) is a HOPE Group behavior-modification program that opened in 2014. It is marketed as a Residential Treatment Center for teenaged girls ages 12-18 with a history of “early complex childhood trauma and attachment related issues including Reactive Attachment Disorder”. The average length of stay is reported to be around 12 months. Havenwood has been a NATSAP member since 2016.

The address given for the program is 246 E Fiddlers Canyon Rd, Cedar City, UT 84721. However, they recently purchased a 160-acre plot of land which was formerly a historic cattle ranch, and are in the process of converting this into their primary location. This ranch is located at 8097 W 2000 S, Cedar City, UT 84720.

It didn't seem to matter what happened at the teen treatment center. The state of Utah always gave it another chance. Death. Allegations of abuse. Criminal charges. Bizarre punishments. Whistleblowers coming forward. Each time, the place got a pass.

A team of reporters from three news organizations has spent the last year digging into the untold stories of Utah's massive teen treatment industry. Some 20,000 teenagers facing depression, delinquency and other problems have been sent there from every state in the country over the last six years. Sent Away investigates how the government failed to keep all those kids safe — through the voices and stories of the teens who lived it.

During the last sonography of her pregnancy, Meera found out that there was a tumour growing in her uterus. As they grappled with this reality, their doctor suggested adoption through SOFOSH.

The moment Pranit Kulkarni addressed her as “aai”, she collapsed crying. “She was essentially a complete stranger, so it was difficult for me to say ‘aai’. But it was a very emotional moment. I knew I looked like someone in this world and I just wanted to thank them once”, said Pranit about the first and the last time he met his biological mother.

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.

Kim Catford was born in Vietnam as Ha Van Tuan in February 1973, towards the end of the Vietnam War. At about 6 months of age, he was abandoned and taken to the Sancta Maria Orphanage in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City).

50 years ago, in November 1973, he was adopted by the Catford family from South Australia. He was 9 months old at the time.

On 8 December 2023, the Federal Council revealed the results of a study on the adoption of foreign children in Switzerland. The report highlights frequent irregularities in the adoption process and pushes the executive to want to revise international adoption law.

The Federal Council has not yet finished with the issue of illegal adoptions. Indeed, after a shocking report published in 2020 which revealed the illegal and sometimes mafia-like practices of private intermediaries and Sri Lankan authorities in the 1980s, the executive made public, at the beginning of December, the conclusions of a second study, this time on the adoptions of children from ten other countries between 1970 and 1990. This study conducted by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) states:

"There are also indications of illegal practices in these countries, child trafficking, falsification of documents and false indications of origin."

What happened? What was Switzerland's role? What are the responsibilities? Watson spoke with Sitara Chamot, coordinator of the Bureau d'Aide à la Recherche des Origines (BARO), which supports adopted adults.

On Friday, December 8, the Federal Council issued a statement on the report reporting irregularities in international adoptions committed in the past. What was your reaction to this statement?
Let's say that these are not major revelations; for me, who has worked in supporting adopted people for about ten years, what this report shows was not a surprise. Obviously, we regret these events and the role played by the Swiss authorities who sometimes turned a blind eye, but we are satisfied that this large-scale study was commissioned by the Federal Council.

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.

New Delhi, 18th December 2023: The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, and “Where are India’s Children” (WAIC), an NGO dedicated to securing family rights for abandoned and orphaned children in India, are thrilled to announce a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance child welfare and adoption initiatives.

Under this pioneering partnership, CARA and WAIC commit to enhancing collaboration through research and data-based evidence to promote the well-being of children. The MoU marks a new era in public-private partnerships and innovation, focusing on noninstitutional care of children and rehabilitation through adoption.

Leveraging technology, CARA and WAIC will expand the legal adoption pool, offering more children the chance to find their forever families. The organizations will also advocate for the adoption of special needs and older children, while raising awareness to prevent unsafe child abandonment

Tripti Gurha, CEO of CARA, stated, “This MoU is a significant step forward in ensuring the well-being of every child. Collaborating with WAIC allows us to pool resources for positive change.”

Meera Marthi, CEO of WAIC, added, “We are proud to join hands with CARA to make a lasting impact on vulnerable children’s lives, providing the love and care they deserve.”

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.

Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib has been in contact with her fellow ministers in Ethiopia, India, Chile, Guatemala, Colombia, Congo and South Korea in connection with possible illegal adoptions. 

She stated this on Monday at a meeting with organizations representing adopted people.The minister gave the organizations an update on the investigation into the adoptions. This was requested in a resolution adopted in Parliament last year. For example, the archives of the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs are being searched for traces of illegal adoptions. 

The Belgian consular posts in various countries are also involved in the investigation. They send their archives to Brussels, where they are analyzed.“We must do everything we can to tell the people involved the truth about their origins,” the minister said on Monday. Adoptions have allegedly been carried out over the past seventy years after kidnappings or with smuggled children, the resolution of June last year stated. If this is confirmed in the investigation, the Chamber will ask that Belgium officially recognize that such adoptions have taken place.Knack - Time To Read

The victims must receive help in their search for their biological relatives. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the House may later decide to set up an investigation committee.