Obtaining documents on international adoptions from 1974 to 1981.
Circumstances of Korean government’s ‘connivance’ of illegal overseas adoptions.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs avoids responsibility for “private level issues”

The Truth and Reconciliation Committee is conducting a large-scale investigation to reveal allegations of illegal acts by adoption agencies and collusion and condonation by the Korean government during the international adoption of Korean children in the 1970s and 1990s. , a document was identified containing a conversation in the 1970s in which a foreign government protested the Korean government's practice of accepting money from adoption agencies in exchange for adoption and urged improvement.

At the time, the Korean government remained ignorant, calling it a 'private level problem', but this document is evaluated as showing that the Korean government's 'connivance' was behind the spread of illegal overseas adoption.

According to documents related to 'international adoption of orphans' written by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1974 to 1981, obtained by the Hankyoreh from the National Archives on the 12th, the Belgian government at the time raised several issues surrounding the overseas adoption of Korean children, including the involvement of illegal brokers, but the Korean government turned a blind eye. Several circumstances are confirmed. The Belgian government became desperate and even requested a meeting with President Park Chung-hee.

“I advised the Korean ambassadors, but no action was taken.”
On May 1, 1978, Vanhove, the Belgian consul in Korea, met with the Director of the European Affairs Bureau of the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and said, “A Lebanese-born woman named Born , who was working in connection with the Holt Children’s Welfare Association, was 1 “Korean orphans are being sold (to Belgium) for 800 to 1,200 dollars per person,” he said, adding that he would meet President Park Chung-hee and tell him this because the matter was urgent. Until the late 1970s, Belgium was the country with the largest number of Korean children adopted, following the United States, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
 

The Belgian government appears to have taken this seriously because if money is exchanged in exchange for adoption, it can be considered child trafficking. Consul Vanhover told the Director of the European Bureau, “I met with the Director of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs last year and raised this issue, but I did not get any results. He strongly protested, saying, “I advised the Korean ambassadors in Belgium to ask the Korean government to step forward and stop (the broker’s intervention), but no action was taken.”

Suspicion of officials sharing adoption fees was also mentioned.
Adoption-related commissions were illegal under domestic law at the time. The Enforcement Decree of the Special Adoption Act, enacted in 1977, stipulates that 'an adoption agency may receive compensation for all or part of the costs incurred in adoption mediation from the prospective adoptive parents.' This means that only actual cost conservation is possible.

During the interview, Consul Vanhover also mentioned rumors in Belgium that high-ranking Korean government officials were sharing the adoption fee. There was pressure as to whether there was some kind of cartel between private companies and the government.

Director Koo Joo replied, “Please meet with the director of the Women’s and Children’s Bureau (Ministry of Health and Social Affairs), who is in charge, and talk about it.” However, on June 27, 1977, a year before this meeting, Consul Vanhover had already met with the Director of the Department for Women and Children of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and complained with a similar point. As no further action was taken, the case went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instead of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs a year later, and was sent back to the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.

The director of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Women’s and Children’s Bureau met with Consul Vanhover the next day, saying, “The issue of orphan adoption is a private-level project. The Korean government is not involved. “If there are brokers taking commissions, that’s a Belgian problem,” she replied.
 

A transcript of a conversation regarding overseas adoption of Koreans delivered by the Belgian consul to the Director of the Women's and Children's Bureau at the office of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs of the Republic of Korea on May 2, 1978. At this meeting, the Director of Women and Children's Affairs responded as if she was avoiding responsibility, saying, “The issue of orphan adoption is a private-level business and a Belgian problem.” Data: National Archives of Korea
Afterwards, the problem was not resolved and international adoptions expanded further. According to a Blue House report document written by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs in 1988 reported last year, “Four adoption agencies are receiving an adoption fee of $1,450 and airfare per child from adoptive parents, and in addition to the child support fee, they are also receiving an additional placement fee of $3,000 to $4,000.” ” contains the content.

Recognizing the problem, the government held a meeting of agency heads to improve the adoption business system. At this meeting, content such as 'A huge amount of real estate is being acquired with the proceeds from the adoption agency', 'We are wasting a lot of money on huge sales expenses', and 'We are receiving a lot of money from adoptive parents as a kickback fee', etc. comes out.

Noh Hye-ryeon, a professor of social welfare at Soongsil University who worked at Holt in the 1980s, said, “It appears that the Korean government used children for diplomacy against Nordic countries, which had a large demand for adoption.” Jung Fierens (47), who was adopted by Belgium in 1977, said, “It is shocking that the Korean government at the time turned a blind eye to the wrong adoption practices.” It is considerable. “If the Korean government had taken the necessary measures, adopted children like me would not have been separated from their biological parents and taken to a country on the other side of the world,” he said.

Suzanne Ferrière, born in 1886 in Geneva, Switzerland, emerged as a prominent figure in the field of humanitarian activism, leaving a permanent mark on organizations like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Social Service (ISS). Coming from a distinguished Genevan family, Ferrière became the third female member of the ICRC’s governing body.

Her career in humanitarian service began under the guidance of her uncle, Dr. Frédéric Ferrière, member of the ICRC. She initially worked in the Civilians Section of the Central Prisoners of War Agency from 1914 to 1915 before transitioning to the ICRC Relief Section. Notably, her collaboration with Eglantyne Jebb in 1919 led to the establishment of the International Union for Child Welfare, where Ferrière later assumed the role of Secretary-General.

In 1920, Suzanne Ferrière played a pivotal role in the formation of the International Migration Service (IMS), when the Young Women’s Christian Association initiated it as a network of social work agencies aiding migrant women and children. Serving as the IMS Secretary-General until 1945, Ferrière advocated passionately for an international socio-legal framework for cross-border family maintenance claims. The organization, later renamed the International Social Service (ISS), owed much of its success and global impact to Ferrière’s dedicated leadership.

Ferrière’s commitment extended beyond organizational boundaries, as she undertook missions assigned by the ICRC that took her to various parts of the world, including Russia, South America, and Africa. Her intelligence and courage were evident in overcoming obstacles. In distant countries where conventions offered little protection, Ferrière demonstrated an unwavering determination to assist victims.

During World War II, Suzanne Ferrière emerged as an advocate within the ICRC leadership. Her influence extended to shaping relationships with other international organizations and contributing to the establishment of the maintenance convention. The historian Roxana Banu (2023) emphasized Ferrière’s pivotal role in incorporating research findings into reports presented to the Committee for the protection of children.

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Agnete Finnemann Scheel

Social Affairs Minister Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil (S) must take the experts' words into account and support a legal investigation into the role of the Danish authorities in the many adoption scandals. This is what the Liberal Alliance's spokesperson for social affairs, Katrine Daugaard, believes.

- The Minister of Social Affairs has been adamant that a legal investigation will make no difference to the people who have been victims of adoption fraud. Now the experts say that it is decidedly wrong, says Katrine Daugaard.

In recent weeks, DR has revealed that a large number of children adopted from India were tricked from their parents and flown to Denmark.

Women and Child Development department along with UNICEF targets a 70% drop in new entries to child care institutions by 2029

Updated - February 11, 2024 10:28 pm IST

Published - February 11, 2024 08:00 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

R K Roshni

Saba, who is the favorite to win the Danish Melodi Grand Prix, settled in Tine Gøtzsche's basement when she became single a few years ago

That's what clicked between the TV host Tine Gøtzsche and the singer Saba when they met four years ago during the big TV show, Danmarks Indsamlingen.

Gøtzsche was the host, while Melodi Grand Prix current and big favorite Saba guested the show with her story about being an adopted child from Ethiopia.

- I don't know exactly what happened, but we just clicked. Perhaps because Tine is the mother of Jakob, who was also adopted from Ethiopia. We could do something for each other, and I think that this is how deep relationships arise, says Saba to Ekstra Bladet.

The relationship continued when the cameras turned off. Saba, whose surname is Oehlenschlæger, visited Tine Gøtzsche and her son privately.

NEW DELHI: Clearing the air on whether the health status of the biological parent of a child placed in the adoption pool should be disclosed to prospective adoptive parents, the government has said that such information may only be shared if it “does not violate the privacy of the biological parents”.

The steering committee of the Central Adoption Resource Authority under the ministry of women and child development at its meeting last month took into consideration two conflicting opinions received from AIIMS and NIMHANS on the matter by CARA and finally after a “detailed discussion” decided to go with the the opinion offered by the latter.

The matter was placed on the agenda for opinion, as CARA has been receiving requests from stakeholders for providing guidance over disclosing health status of biological parents to PAPs, be it HIV positive or mental instability/illness. “Moreover, it has also been observed that in the case of a surrendered child, where the health status of biological parents is disclosed in the child study report (CSR), PAPs are not accepting the child,” it is cited in the minutes of the meeting available in the public domain on the CARA website.

CARA received two conflicting views on the matter. “The expert from AIIMS is of the opinion that complete information about the mother's status should be furnished as it is legally required to do so.On the other hand, NIMHANS representative has stated that such information may only be shared if it does not violate the privacy of the biological parents,” said the minutes of the meeting. The steering committee in its decision concluded that following discussions in detail, the opinion of NIMHANS has been approved..

The adoption regulations deal with the issue of ‘background information of the biological parent’. The 2022 regulations address the issue in the section on information regarding the social background of a child. It states that "do not give identifying information about the natural parent". Social background should include a child's social history which can be a brief background about the birth parents and circumstances necessitating the child's surrender or abandonment. However, “identifying information such as the name and address of birth parents or relatives is prohibited”.

https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2024/02/09/pictured-mother-48-who-was-killed-by-the-teenage-sons-she-adopted-from-russia-as-youngest-suspect-13-will-face-no-charges/#:~:text=THE%20identity%20of%20the%20mother,late%20on%20Wednesday%2C%20January%207

Two Russian teenagers were arrested in Spain and accused of killing their adoptive mother this week.

Silvia López Gayubas, 48, was found dead Wednesday night in Castro Urdiales, Cantabria, where her body was discovered inside a car in the garage of her family home, according to local newspaper El Diario Montañés.

The mother was found with a bag over her head and "blows and a stab wound to the neck," per the outlet.

There is a need to change the statute of limitations so that compensation can be paid to adoptees if their human rights have been violated. In addition, the government should set up an independent board that can in future initiate investigations and make decisions about possible compensation for victims.

The Danish state's responsibility in cases of illegal international adoptions should be thoroughly investigated. If the state has violated human rights, the state may be obliged to pay financial compensation. Therefore, the statute of limitations should be changed as soon as possible, so that there is no doubt that the state can pay compensation to the adopted.

This is the assessment of the Institute for Human Rights in a new analysis in the wake of recent media coverage of a large number of cases of illegal international adoptions.

" It is absolutely crucial to find out whether the Danish state has committed human rights violations in the adoption cases in question. In particular, it is important to map out whether the Danish state has violated human rights by failing to protect the right to family life, " says Marya Akhtar, head of legal affairs at the Institute for Human Rights.

According to international conventions, Denmark is obliged to ensure that adoptions take place in the best interest of the child and with respect for fundamental rights, including the right to family life.

From 1991 to 2005, 120,000 Chinese children were adopted to Western parents. Now all grown up, many question the decisions that shaped their lives.

This article originally appeared on VICE Netherlands.

In the 90s and early 2000s, China became a hub for international adoptions. After implementing its one-child policy in 1979, families who conceived more than once were forced into unwanted abortions and sterilisations, or to abandon their “over-the-quota” children. This problem was especially prevalent in poorer, rural areas, where serious allegations of child trafficking also emerged over the years.

In the 80s, many abandoned children were informally adopted by Chinese families and kept off official records, with dire repercussions. In 1991, China opened itself up to international adoption – at least in part – to prevent the tradition of informal adoption. Between 1991 and 2005, over 120,000 Chinese babies were adopted by foreign parents. Up to 90 percent of them were girls under the age of two, and over half of them went to U.S. couples.

by Espen Slavensky

The children's room is clear, and she has looked at pictures and videos of the adopted child she was matched with again and again.

Louise Stenstrup shows a picture on the chest of drawers in the decorated but empty children's room

- This is my son, who is waiting in South Africa, she says.

She was happy when she was told in August that there was finally a match. She was to be the adoptive mother of a boy from an orphanage in South Africa.