The Kerala High Court has ruled that adoption by step-parent cannot be permitted unless the biological parent of the child gives consent for adoption. The Court further clarified that CARA (Central Adoption Resource Agency) cannot relax the requirement of obtaining biological parent's consent for adoption under the Adoption Regulations due to the legal implications of an adoption.Justice...

Only after several adoptees spoke out did the Minister of Employment say that she would change the rules.

Minister of Employment Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen (S) has been in the middle of a storm for a few weeks.

Because it has turned out that the new law on work obligations in connection with cash benefits, which was intended to affect immigrants in particular, would also affect adoptees. This meant that adoptees would not have the same rights as their Danish-born family.

This stirred up emotions among several adoptees and their families, who, among other things, made it clear under #ErJegStadigDanish? that they felt alienated. They were placed in the "immigrant" category in the legislation.

This subsequently caused several parties to raise their voices. And the question of what the minister knew when has been floating in the wind.

When doctors at Wadia Hospital revealed the baby’s HIV status, the ‘adoptive’ mother disowned the child, said Ramkrishna Reddy, district child protection officer, Thane.

The Mumbai police have booked two women from Thane who allegedly adopted a child illegally after tricking the administration of KEM Hospital. A search is on to locate both the accused who hail from Kalyan (East).

According to police sources, one of the women posed as the other person at the hospital and delivered the child. This allowed the ‘adoptive’ mother to procure a birth certificate which stated that she was the child’s biological mother.

The matter, however, came to light after the baby developed health complications and doctors at Wadia Hospital found out that she was HIV+. A First Information Report in this regard was initially lodged at Thane’s Manpada police station on Saturday and was transferred to Mumbai’s Bhoiwada police station by Sunday.

As per sources with the police, the child’s biological parents come from a poor financial background. The baby’s mother, aged 38, tried to abort the pregnancy as her husband is a drunkard and they were struggling to run the family. During this time, she came in contact with another woman, aged 37, who was looking to adopt a child as she was unable to have a baby due to some health complications.

Experts point out that because of the loopholes in the time-consuming CARA procedures, many childless couples prefer the illegal method and are willing to shell down the amounts that are demanded by the likes of Krishnaveni and Vandana.



Hyderabad: Chaitanyapuri police, probing child trafficking cases in the city, arrested and remanded three more persons under the Juvenile Act for their role in illegally selling abandoned or orphaned kids in the name of adoption. The three Umarani, Jayasree and Soni Keerthi are the mediators for the prime accused Kola Krishnaveni and Vandana, who sell infants to desperate childless couples. The mediators identify couples craving to adopt as they are easy targets. Vandana remains elusive.
 

It can be recalled that in a similar case in Medipally last May, 15 kids were rescued and the parents were sent notices, though they were not arrested. In this case, the parents, who adopted infants through illegal means, have been arrested and charged under the Juvenile Act. Meanwhile, a source said they will seek judicial intervention, which could be a setback to the children currently housed in CWC Shelter.
 

Most of the parents in the Medipally case approached the court for custody of the kids they had adopted. The case remains stuck in court and it may take quite a while for the adoption process to be legalised. Experts point out that because of the loopholes in the time-consuming CARA procedures, many childless couples prefer the illegal method and are willing to shell down the amounts that are demanded by the likes of Krishnaveni and Vandana.
 

L’organisme la Famille adoptive
française, soupçonné de trafic d’enfants
dans les années 60, annonce sa
fermeture
 

L’un des plus anciens organismes privés habilités pour l’adoption, en France
et à l’étranger, s’apprête à fermer en catimini. L’annonce, glissée sur leur
site internet le 24 janvier, inquiète les personnes adoptées, dont beaucoup
nées sous X, sur le devenir des dossiers d’archives.

L'organisme d’adoption privé a servi d’intermédiaire pour 8 500 enfants en
France et à l’étranger depuis 1946. (Cyril Zannettacci/VU' pour Libération)
par Marie Piquemal et Willy Le Devin
publié le 21 février 2025 à 17h23

L’information est à peine visible sur leur site internet : un message daté du 24
janvier. «Chers amis […], pour la Famille adoptive française [FAF, ndlr] et les Nids de
Paris, cette année 2025 sera très particulière», entame Damien O’Neill, le président
de cet organisme privé d’adoption, ayant servi d’intermédiaire pour 8 500 enfants en
France et à l’étranger depuis 1946. Dans le paragraphe suivant, Damien O’Neill
annonce la fermeture imminente et inattendue de l’organisme. «Nous sommes
contraints de mettre un terme à cette magnifique aventure.»
L’explication, écrit-il, est liée aux «évolutions de fond vécues par l’adoption
internationale ces dernières décennies et plus récemment, la réforme de l’adoption
menée en France depuis 2000, ont profondément modifié l’environnement de notre
action. Après maintes démarches et malgré toute la tristesse qu’une telle décision a
provoquée, notre Conseil d’administration a conclu que notre association, en dépit de
ses atouts, n’avait plus la possibilité d’agir dans ce contexte actuel».

Plusieurs enquêtes de «Libé»

The tools and resources at our disposal are different–but the focus on the protection of vulnerable children is the same. 

The Peterson family first met 12-year-old Natasha when she came to their Florida home to participate in a summer hosting program for Ukrainian orphans. Soon after her six-week visit, they decided to adopt her and had just finalized the adoption in the Ukrainian courts and were preparing to bring her home when the Russian invasion began. Panicked about Natasha’s safety but unable to reach her, the Petersons coordinated with their adoption service provider, the Department of State, and humanitarian aid organizations on the ground to arrange Natasha’s safe passage across the border into Poland.  

There, the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw facilitated further coordination with the Ukrainian government to verify her identity, final adoption, and eligibility to immigrate to the United States. Natasha is safely home with her new family, who are ensuring she receives the love and care needed to overcome her traumatic experiences during her evacuation from Ukraine.   

While Natasha’s story may sound unique, it is the type of challenge my colleagues and I face every day. 

As the Special Advisor for Children’s Issues in the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, I have the privilege of focusing on two critical issues: International Parental Child Abduction, and Intercountry Adoption. I work closely with the Office of Children’s Issues (CA/OCS/CI), which serves as the U.S. Central Authority for the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of Child Abduction, as well as the 1993 Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.  Together, we develop strategies to encourage countries’ accession to both conventions and implement them fully and effectively. CA/OCS/CI also handles parental abductions and adoption policies in countries that have not yet joined the Conventions, or with which the U.S. has not yet partnered. The challenges inherent in each issue are different, the stakeholders are different, and the tools and resources at our disposal are different—but the focus on the protection of vulnerable children is the same. And for both issues, diplomacy is a critical aspect of promoting that protection.

Establishment of the Adoption Business Headquarters with 1 Headquarters and 3 Departments…
Relocation of the organization to the vicinity of Seoul City Hall at the end of this month

[Seoul = Newsis] The Child Rights Protection Agency is organizing and inspecting adoption-related records at the Busan Metropolitan City Archives. (Photo = Provided by the Child Rights Protection Agency) 2024.09.27. photo @ newsis.com *Resale and DB prohibited

[Sejong=Newsis] Reporter Park Young-joo = The Child Rights Protection Center announced on the 20th that it will push forward with an organizational restructuring effective the 24th with the strengthening of the adoption work system as its top priority.

This is a strategic measure to prepare for the implementation of the 'Special Act on Domestic Adoption' and the 'Act on International Adoption' starting July 19th without a hitch.

The Child Rights Protection Center will support the ratification of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, operate the Adoption Policy Committee Secretariat, and directly perform all aspects of domestic and international adoption procedures as the competent authority for international adoption. Accordingly, the organization that was previously operated as a single department will be promoted and expanded into a 1-headquarters /3-

division system. With this restructuring, the Adoption Business Headquarters will be newly established to stabilize the public adoption system. The Adoption Business Headquarters consists of ▲ the 'Adoption Support Department', which operates the Adoption Policy Committee Secretariat and promotes the overall domestic and international adoption process, ▲ the 'Adoption Information Disclosure Support Department', which supports adoptees' search for their families and manages records, and ▲ the 'Family Protection Support Department', which integrates foster care and adoption policy planning.

In particular, the Adoption Information Disclosure Support Department provides one-stop services for adoption information disclosure requests. The Records Management Team, which is operated separately, plans to fully promote comprehensive investigations, preservation facility operation, and computerization in order to thoroughly manage private adoption records from existing adoption organizations and others as public records.

In addition, through this reorganization, the 'Child Protection Headquarters', which integrates the child protection system and child abuse prevention functions, was newly established and overlapping functions between departments were adjusted. In addition, along with this reorganization, the organization will be relocated to the vicinity of Seoul City Hall at the end of this month.

Jeong Ik-joong, the director of the Child Rights Protection Center, expected that "this reorganization will be an important opportunity to bring about fundamental changes in the public adoption system and establish a system that best protects the interests of children."

 

Reporter Park Young-joo (gogogirl@newsis.com)

A new resolution urges the government to help victims of illegal adoptions. The text calls for an apology from the government and a thorough historical investigation. 'But many files at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have already been destroyed.'

Many news articles have appeared in recent years about the abuses surrounding international adoptions. For example, a Flemish study into adoptions from Ethiopia showed two years ago that some children had not been voluntarily given up by their biological parents.

And last summer, a brother and sister testified about how their adoptive father arranged adoptions from Cambodia on his own. Belgian authorities were aware of an “illegal adoption network,” but nothing was done. The Arizona government promised in its coalition agreement to correct the mistakes of the past.

A resolution, unanimously approved today by all parties, makes the intention concrete. The text calls for an apology from the government and urges the government to set up a working group to conduct historical research into illegal adoptions from the period 1960-2005.

“For children who came to our country through illegal adoption, finding out their origins is a real crusade,” says MP Kathleen Depoorter (N-VA). “Their documents contain a lot of incorrect information. For example, these children were often born on '1 January'.”

A specially-abled child from Karnataka's Gangamma Chikumbimath Orphanage has been adopted by an Italian couple, after being rescued from a garbage dump.

A specially-abled child from the Gangamma Chikumbimath Orphanage in Karnataka's Belagavi, has found a new home after being adopted by an Italian couple. Abandoned by his biological parents, the young boy was rescued from a garbage dump and now set to begin a new life with a loving family in Italy.

An Italian couple adopted a child from Karnataka's Belagavi who was left by his biological parents in a garbage dump. ((Pic for representation))

Authorities revealed that the newborn was discovered in a garbage heap, prompting the intervention of the local Child Development Project Officer (CDPO). The infant was immediately taken to Belagavi's BIMS Hospital for urgent medical care. Once stabilized, he was transferred to KLE's Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital & Medical Research Centre for further treatment. Upon recovery, the district child protection office entrusted his care to the Gangamma Chikumbimath Orphanage, where he received continued support and rehabilitation.

By Vivian J. Salles Vieira Pinto 

Introduction

The case of Mitrevska v. North Macedonia, judged by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR/Court) in 2024, contributes significantly to the field of adoption law. The case arose from allegations that domestic authorities had failed to ensure the applicant’s right to private life by denying access to information concerning her biological family and childhood, as her adoption was automatically deemed an “official secret”. The Court found a violation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR/Convention) and emphasised the importance of properly identifying and balancing competing rights in cases of adoption. 

The ECtHR previously addressed adult adoptees’ access to information in cases such as Odièvre v. France (2003) or Godelli v. Italy (2012), where non-identifying information was crucial in circumstances of anonymous birth. At first glance, Mitrevska seems similar to previous case-law, putting access to biological information of adult adoptees under the spotlight. However, a more in-depth analysis of the case reveals broader implications for adoption law and procedural guarantees that are noteworthy. Mitrevska demonstrates, in practice, the importance of access to medical information for adult adoptees particularly in situations where medical information is required for proper diagnosis and treatment of hereditary diseases. This judgment stands out as it could result in at least two valuable paradigm shifts in the field of adoption law: a) a broader conceptualisation of adoptees’ right to know, encompassing a comprehensive right to health, and b) the absence of a presumption of anonymity in adoption procedures. In other words, on the basis of Mitrevska, it can be argued that the right to know of adoptees implies a wider range of medical information pertaining to the biological family and States should actively work towards identifying interests at stake in relationships shaped by adoption, rather than simply adopting a blanket approach that uses anonymity as a standard practice. This post explores how Mitrevska impacts adult adoptees’ rights, particularly in terms of access to biological information and discusses some practical implications.

Summary of the Case