Why we take action

We, Sharon and Sita, are sisters—but we didn't know that for a long time. We were separated through adoption and grew up unaware of each other's existence. In 2016, we reconnected. Shortly afterward, we discovered we had another sister: Charlotte. But she was already gone by then. Charlotte had taken her own life.

On June 7th, Charlotte would have turned 40. We would have loved to have known her so much. With this campaign, we commemorate her—and draw attention to a painful truth: adoptees have a threefold higher risk of suicide.

For Charlotte. For all the adoptees who suffer in silence. For those who are no longer here, and for those who are still here.

We are taking action, will you also support us in this action?

Between 1970 and 1990, Geertruida Kuijpers not only arranged irregular adoptions of Chileans to the Netherlands, but also purchased a large number of properties to operate in La Cisterna and Buin. In the 2000s, she donated a large portion of the properties to the Integra Foundation, while selling others to Jehovah's Witnesses and her former right-hand man in Chile.

Despite the passing of years, the story of Geertruida Kuijpers, who arranged irregular and illegal adoptions from Chile to the Netherlands, continues to be written. A well-known fact, but one that has not been fully explored, is the donations of real estate that this fake Dutch nun made to the Integra Foundation in the early 2000s. 

Specifically, these were six properties that Kuijpers acquired in the 1970s and 1980s with cash payments and then, thirty years later, without his personal motivations being known, were transferred to the institution. 

In this context, four properties located in the El Bosque district of Santiago were donated: one on Caminos de Chile Street and three in Los Aviadores, donated in 2004. 

In addition, Kuijpers had his own foundation called Stichting Kindertehuis Las Palmas Foundation, which he also used to manage donations, but in Buin. One was located on Calle San Martín and the other in Balmaceda in 2005. 

21-year-old Siri is adopted from India and lives in Sandnes. She feels that she will not get any peace until she finds her biological mother. The host Tore Strømøy begins to unravel the clues and travels to India with Siri. But is it even possible to find a single person in a country with nearly 1.4 billion inhabitants? Tore Strømøy travels the world to help people find family and friends. Part 1 of 5. (Norway, 2018)

For the last two months, 20 people have died due to the Melioidosis virus in Turakapalem village

Melioidosis outbreak: Andhra wakes up after 20 deaths, declares health emergency in Turakapalem

Amaravati: Waking up to suspected Melioidosis deaths, Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has declared a health emergency in Turakapalem village and rushed all infected people to hospitals.

Adoptee human rights advocate Simone Eun Mi stood before lawmakers on Sept. 2 with a question that has haunted thousands of Koreans sent abroad as children: “Where is my home? When will I have the right to be in Korea?”

It was the fifth time she had been invited to speak at the Assembly. Her remarks were part of the “Korean Diaspora: Memories Across the Sea, National Responsibility Beyond Borders” forum, which brought together policymakers, scholars and diaspora representatives.

More than 250,000 Korean children were adopted overseas in the decades following the 1950-53 Korean War, most of whom were not true orphans but children born to single mothers who lacked state support. For many, returning to Korea as adults has brought new difficulties: visa insecurity, lack of housing and no guaranteed access to adoption records.

“These are not isolated tragedies,” Simone told the audience. “They are the outcome of policies that treated children as numbers to be exported, not citizens to be protected.”

-------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Arun Dohle < arundohle@gmail.com >
Date: Mon, May 22, 2017 at 8:41 PM
Subject: She wants to give adoptees a voice
To: < roelie.post@gmail.com >
 

NEWS.

2017-05-15 12:00

The Delhi Police arrested 10 people, including a doctor, last month.

It was nearly midnight on August 22 when Suresh, a brickmaker travelling to Behror in Rajasthan, woke up at the Sarai Kale Khan ISBT and got the scare of his life. While his wife and three other children were asleep beside him on Platform 2, his six-month-old son was nowhere to be found.

After frantically looking for his child, Suresh approached the nearby Sunlight Colony police station and a case of kidnapping was registered.

What Suresh could not have known that night was that his baby’s disappearance would crack open a larger child trafficking network operating across the country with 10 people, including a doctor, being arrested last month.

During its probe, the police noticed two middle-aged men approaching the sleeping family and leaving the bus terminal with the infant in CCTV camera footage. However, the police could not trace their movements once they stepped outside the ISBT.

No ban on international adoptions

Submitted by:

Committee for Legal Affairs National Council

Reporting:

Gianini Simone

True to its principles, the Red Cross does not represent any political, religious, or ideological beliefs. Nor does it make recommendations on issues subject to referendums. It primarily shares its expertise with the Red Cross Parliamentary Group through the "Standpunkte" information bulletin.

Fall session 2025

Editorial

The overriding principle of the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) is humanity. Wherever the interests of particularly vulnerable people are at stake, the SRC advocates for their concerns. Against this backdrop, the SRC comments on the following topics and on matters up for discussion during the fall session.

Strengthening Switzerland’s global role as a “humanitarian hub”

BRUSSELS — Plans to overhaul the EU’s executive arm will be brought forward by the start of next year at the latest, leaked documents reveal, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pushing for a restructure to make its labyrinthine civil service more efficient and cost-effective.

According to a document seen by POLITICO, the bloc’s budget and public administration chief Piotr Serafin has been tasked with “a large-scale review of the Commission’s organisation and operations, together with an external benchmarking exercise.”

The intention is to deliver a “modern, efficient public administration to deliver on our political priorities,” while also being able to handle “volatility as the new normal” and reduce both complexity “and, where possible, costs.”

Two Commission officials, granted anonymity to speak about the sensitive process, said that alternative models were being considered whereby departments could be merged.