Adopted children searching for their birth parents have a hard time finding answers. Growing up without knowing where you come from has a big impact on mental well-being. Shashitu Hitzerd is adopted herself and works at the Adoption Support Center: “Care providers are not very familiar with the complex reality of adoption.”

Impossible task?

I was adopted from Ethiopia and grew up in the Netherlands. I was abandoned as a baby and my birth parents were unknown. They supposedly could not take care of me. This made the search for my past an impossible task.

Where do you start looking if you don't know the names of your birth parents, the day or the place you were born? It seemed impossible and yet I kept asking myself: Do I look like my parents? Do I have any brothers and sisters? Why was I given up? Are my parents still alive? When no answers are forthcoming, as a child you form a fantasy image of your birth parents and your past.

'The search for my past was dismissed as an impossible task.'

At 35, Sol Ramana-Clarke found himself focusing on his breathing in a "rebirthing" therapy session.

His adoptive father had just died, his marriage had broken down and he was reaching for solace in an alternative meditation technique.

"I got back to my birth and I was in a completely altered state of consciousness," he said.

"I was crying and crying."

For the first time in his life, the father of two felt the deep wound of being separated from his birth mother.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/forced-adoption-survivors-celebrate-inquiry-findings-in-wa/ar-AA1pe2Am?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ACTS&cvid=01366fd7864944f89cfa70d701f92ef5&ei=13&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2Kh3UgdPZOk4zNQv51jADhi2_PtBVSSYTgOQdyErlIm8siVPPIEtir134_aem_qsvNaw9dob_QJme3SFmbyg

Forced adoption survivor Jennifer McRae is celebrating after a few long, hard years.

Today, a parliamentary inquiry in Western Australia recommended survivors of forced adoption in the state should be compensated in a financial redress scheme.

McRae, who was forcefully removed from her unmarried mother in 1972, led the charge for the inquiry in WA, which began as a petition.

"It's been a really long wait," she tells 9News. "It got tabled earlier than we thought it would be, so this is good news on many fronts."

Adoptions in Guwahati are notably low due to a lengthy process, bureaucratic delays, and an imbalance between available children and prospective parents, highlighting systemic challenges

Adoption, often seen as a noble act of providing a family to a child in need, faces major challenges in Guwahati. Despite the city’s progress and development, the number of adoptions remains surprisingly low. With only two government adoption centers in the city, one in Birubari and another run by Maitri Mandir, the figures reflect a shocking reality. In a year, Maitri Mandir handles approximately 5-6 adoptions, while the center in Birubari manages around 10. This situation raises an essential question: Why are adoptions in Guwahati so few?

One of the primary reasons for the low number of adoptions in Guwahati, and indeed across India, is the lengthy and complex adoption process. Prospective parents often face a long wait, sometimes extending to two years or more, before they can bring a child home. This waiting period begins with the registration on the Child Adoption Resource Information & Guidance System (CARINGS), an online platform under the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).

The adoption process involves several stages aimed at ensuring the well-being of the child. After registration, prospective parents must upload nine relevant documents, including identity proofs, financial statements, and medical records. Following this, a social worker and a protection officer from the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) visit the prospective parent's home to assess their suitability for adoption. This home study report plays a crucial role in determining whether the applicant can proceed with the adoption.

Talking to GPlus, a social worker from the adoption centre said, "Once the home study report is approved, a waiting number is allotted to the prospective parent, signifying their position in the queue to be matched with a child. The matching process is another significant hurdle, as it is influenced by the preferences of the prospective parents and the availability of children who are legally free for adoption."

An amendment to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Amendment Act, which came into effect in September 2022, has shifted the responsibility of issuing adoption orders from district courts to District Magistrates (DMs). This change was intended to streamline the process and reduce the time taken from the stage when a child becomes legally free for adoption to the finalization of the adoption. However, despite this amendment, the ground reality in Guwahati suggests that the process remains time-consuming and cumbersome.

The social worker from the centre also added, "The amendment was a step in the right direction, but its implementation has been slow. The time taken to process adoption cases still leaves much to be desired. This delay is a significant deterrent for many prospective parents, who may be dissuaded by the lengthy wait times."

Another factor contributing to the low adoption rates in Guwahati is the imbalance between the number of prospective adoptive parents and the availability of children for adoption. The SARA official highlighted this issue, stating, "The number of adoptions is low because there are more waiting parents than available children. This imbalance is what's keeping the adoption numbers down"

This imbalance can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, not all children in orphanages or care homes are legally free for adoption. A child can only be considered for adoption after all efforts to reunite them with their biological family have been exhausted, and after the child is declared legally free by the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). This legal process can take a considerable amount of time, further delaying the availability of children for adoption.

A parent currently going through the adoption process talking to GPlus said, "The adoption process in India is extremely slow. It can take at least two years to adopt a child, which is really tough for us as we are ready to start our family but are stuck waiting because of all the red tape." They added that the long wait is emotionally draining, making it hard to stay hopeful when the process drags on for so long.

Moreover, the financial implications of adoption are also a concern. While the adoption fees themselves may not be exorbitant, the costs associated with preparing the required documents, undergoing medical tests, and making the necessary home adjustments can add up. For some prospective parents, these financial burdens can be a significant deterrent.

Talking to GPlus, the social worker from the adoption centre also added, "Adoptive parents need to be physically, mentally, and emotionally stable, and also financially capable".

Thiruvananthapuram: Even after three years, the government has not taken any action on the report of the Director of Women and Child Welfare Department about people who put the baby up for adoption without the knowledge of the mother. Even the copy of the report of TV Anupama IAS who investigated the adoption of the child has not been given to the complainant. The accused in the government hoarded report are still in the top positions of the party and the government.

It was Asianet News that brought out the incident where the parents handed over the baby to the Child Welfare Committee without the consent of the mother, Anupama. This child was being handed over to other childless parents in violation of all adoption rules. Anupama approached CWC to get the baby back. But there is no justice. The government had to intervene with a mother's protest before the Child Welfare Committee. After the government submitted a report to the court to cancel the dowry and return the child, Anumpak got the child back through the legal process. Anupama complained to the Chief Minister and the police that the father, who is a CPM leader, had smuggled the child with the help of the leaders. The complaint was that Shiju Khan, who was the general secretary of the Child Welfare Committee, and Sunanda, the Chairperson of the CWC, were complicit in the violations. The then director TV Anupama, who investigated the complaint, gave the report by enumerating the shortcomings of the accused. It has been two years since this report was placed in cold storage.

Dr. What action was taken on the report? Minister Veena George said in his reply to MK Muneer's question in the Legislative Assembly on February 22, 2022 that he has sought AG's legal advice for further action on the recommendations. But till date no action has been taken against those mentioned in the report. Even a copy of the report was not given to the complainant despite the request under RTI. No action was taken in the police case filed by Anupama. Anupama filed a complaint with the Navakerala Sadas. The complaint received in the Navakerala audience was forwarded to the Perurkada police, which delayed action on Anupama's complaint, for further action.

Romania: Edwardson and Murphy-Scheumann Meeting with Romanian Officials
Posted on September 24, 2004 by Joint Council

Antonia Edwardson, Executive Director and Deb Murphy-Scheumann, Joint Council Board President met with the following individuals in separate meetings regarding the status of pending cases in Romania:
Tatiana Maxim, Congressional Liaison, Embassy of Romania
Katie Joyce, Legislative Correspondent, Office of Senator Kerry
Paul Foldi, Professional Staff Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Heather Conley, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, Department of State
Deb Murphy-Scheumann also represented Joint Council in a meeting with Ambassador Crouch in Romania during the month of September.
Summaries of the meetings are detailed in the following bullet points:
§  Ambassador Crouch has met with Prime Minister Nastase on three different occasions and has discussed the issues of the pending cases;
§  Ambassador Crouch has met with other Ambassadors in Bucharest in regard to the pending cases;
§  The State Department has taken a strong lined approach that these cases must be resolved;
§  The country of Romania has indicated that they do not want to aggressively pursue the resolving of these cases until the recommendation report for ascension to the EU has been published. * The report was issued last week. No word on how this may impact the progress of the stated plan.
§  The Romanian government has indicated that they are looking at the development of a commission. The purpose of this commission would only be to address the pending cases from all countries which were filed/referred under the Emergency Ordinance.
§  The US Government is working with the country of Romania to pass a law in parliament that will allow the pending cases to be brought to completion after the January 1 deadline of the new law is implemented;
§  The State Department has asked the Joint Council of International Children’s Services to recommend wording to determine the criteria for pending cases to be identified and processed;
§  The State Department is committed to suggesting language that will create a transparent processing of the pending cases;
§  The State Department is committed to having a broad approach for defining the pending cases;
§  The State Department has engaged in conversations and cooperatively worked with European countries with pending cases, however, the State Departments goal is to resolve US pending cases.
§  A follow-up meeting will be scheduled the end of October to discuss the progress on the issue of pending cases.
http://www.jointcouncil.org/romania-edwardson-and-murphy-scheumann-meeting-with-romanian-officials/

Newspaper: Jurnalul National

Date of publication: May 25, 2007

Title: A hero for children

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