From:  @europarl. europa.eu ] Sent: Thursday, 10 October 2013 13:50 To: Arun Dohle Subject: RE: info about Conference 'A European Adoption Policy?

Dear Mr. Dohle,

Even if the parliamentary processes have not given me any real breathing space since the summer break, I have now gathered enough information to finally write to you - and at the same time ask your indulgence for the delay.

Like all events organized and financed by the ALDE group, the basis for the adoption event is an official decision of the 'ALDE Bureau'. Attached you will find the minutes of the relevant meeting on April 4, 2006. In terms of content, the criteria for supporting an event make it possible for policy areas to be discussed in which the parliamentary group has not (yet) defined a common position. In this respect, dealing with the topic of adoption was not taboo. The (obvious) basis for not putting any obstacles in the way of the event was that it should give supporters and opponents of adoption the opportunity to present their points of view. In this respect, the topic was broader than that in the database of the European Parliament, so " to reflect on the best solution for the best interests of the child between international and national adoption and placement/retention in children's homes at a time when, especially in Romania, thousands of children in children's homes were not admitted to their potential adoptive parents. The event was attended by representatives of the EU, UNICEF, the Hague Conference, MEPs from the liberal and other parliamentary groups, representatives of the Italian and Romanian governments, as well as national administrations and universities, child psychiatrists and last but not least a large number of adopted children who bear witness to their own fate. to reflect on the best solution for the best interests of the child between international and national adoption and placement/retention in children's homes at a time when, especially in Romania, thousands of children in children's homes were not admitted to their potential adoptive parents. The event was attended by representatives of the EU, UNICEF, the Hague Conference, MEPs from the liberal and other parliamentary groups, representatives of the Italian and Romanian governments, as well as national administrations and universities, child psychiatrists and last but not least a large number of adopted children who bear witness to their own fate. thousands of children in children's homes were not allowed to see their potential adoptive parents. The event was attended by representatives of the EU, UNICEF, the Hague Conference, MEPs from the liberal and other parliamentary groups, representatives of the Italian and Romanian governments, as well as national administrations and universities, child psychiatrists and last but not least a large number of adopted children who bear witness to their own fate. thousands of children in children's homes were not allowed to see their potential adoptive parents. The event was attended by representatives of the EU, UNICEF, the Hague Conference, MEPs from the liberal and other parliamentary groups, representatives of the Italian and Romanian governments, as well as national administrations and universities, child psychiatrists and last but not least a large number of adopted children who bear witness to their own fate.

It was a one-day seminar, initiated - as you know - by the two MPs at the time, Jean-Marie Cavada and Claire Gibault, who no longer belong to the ALDE. Another British MP at the time, Baroness Emma Nicholson, was very critical of intercountry adoption and, since she was unable to be present herself, advocated that several British experts should be invited, specifically Helen Jones, Inspector General of Social Affairs Services at the UK Department of Health and Kevin Browne, Professor of Family Psychology. Both indeed took part in the panel discussions.

. 

Professor takes note of the Prime Minister's words about possible compensation in the spiral case. This may have implications for other human rights cases between Greenland and Denmark.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen gave an official apology on behalf of Denmark for the third time in six years.

It was given to the Greenlandic girls and women who had IUDs inserted without consent as part of the so-called IUD case.

Compared to the Prime Minister's previous apologies, there is one thing that stands out.

[Interview] Swedish Adoptee Hanna Johansson's 15-Year Quest to Find Her Roots and the Reality of International Adoption

"There's not much time left."

Dr. Hanna Sofia Johansson (49), a Korean-Swedish adoptee and human rights activist, first visited Korea in 2007 and has since returned annually to her homeland 11 times over the past 15 years, searching for her roots. Found abandoned in Wangsimni, Seoul, she has spent decades searching for her birth mother and father. However, she has faced countless setbacks, including the concealment of adoption agency records, the disappearance of her old neighborhood due to rapid urban redevelopment, and the stalled administrative procedures.

Dr. Johansson's story goes beyond simply exploring her personal roots. It vividly exposes the structural problems and national responsibility that over 200,000 Korean adoptees have faced over the past 70 years. In 2022, the Sweden Korean Adoptees Network (SKAN), to which she belongs, filed a request with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate 21 cases of international adoption, confirming the widespread nature of systemic, illegal adoption practices, including manipulation of adoption records, forged signatures, and falsely recorded parental information.

Dr. Johansson firmly states, "Korea must no longer be a 'child exporter' in the world." He emphasizes the urgent need for post-adoption support commensurate with economic power, expanded support for single parents, and a shift toward a more non-discriminatory social perception. The following is a summary of the key points from our month-long interview with Dr. Hanna Sofia Johansson.

The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the General Assembly the report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, Reem Alsalem, in accordance with Assembly resolution 79/152.

Sofia - Bulgaria, the world's worst country for newborn abandonment just two years ago, is finally making progress in curbing this scourge, of which disabled children are the primary victims, according to an independent report presented Friday.

The number of children entering state care has fallen in the EU's poorest country, thanks to family support, adoptions and foster care, the Helsinki Committee, a human rights organization, has said.

According to a report published at the end of 2012 by UNICEF, Bulgaria is the worst country in the world for the abandonment of children aged 0 to 3 years (780 abandonments per 100,000 births), a situation inherited from the communist era.

Bulgaria was then classified by the UN organization as one of four states - along with Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Russia - with " an extremely high rate of abandonment in homes of children under three years old ." Half of them live in Russia.

Experts have negotiated access to thousands of records from institutions for unmarried mothers in Northern Ireland.

The documents are being assessed by the Truth Recovery Independent Panel, which is the first stage of an investigation set up by the devolved government.

After the Panel finishes its work, it plans to preserve the records in a permanent archive - aimed at providing relatives and survivors with the opportunity to research their past in a single location, with appropriate support.

More than 10,000 women and girls passed through around a dozen "mother-and-baby" institutions between the 1920s and the 1990s.

In Northern Ireland, there were also three Magdalene Laundries – in effect, workhouses where women and girls were made to carry out demanding duties.

Thousands of Brazilian children were illegally removed from the country in the 1980s. Now, a court has ruled that the state be held responsible for three cases that occurred in Minas Gerais.

A court decision recognizing the state's responsibility for violations against families whose babies were taken abroad in the 1980s could be a milestone for similar cases, which are mounting across Brazil. This precedent paves the way for more victims to seek justice in search of redress, experts say.

The Federal Court's decision in late April concerns three cases that occurred in the interior of Minas Gerais, in the municipality of Santos Dumont. In this small town of 40,000 inhabitants, between 1985 and 1987, there were allegations of 176 forced adoptions, with many of the children being taken to Italy and France. The ruling ordered the federal government and the state of Minas Gerais to pay a total of R$1.8 million in compensation to three families whose children were sent to Europe during this period.

The trial concerned the case of seven children from three families who were forcibly taken from their homes by authorities. The mothers were arrested, placed under arrest, and prevented from responding to the removal of their children.

Hyderabad: From suspected baby-swapping in hospitals to cross-border surrogacy, human trafficking and contested adoptions, DNA fingerprinting has emerged as a decisive tool for courts, police and families. City-based Truth Labs and Genome Foundation are witnessing a steady rise in cases where biological parentage is disputed, denied, or demanded as proof.

In a district hospital, a couple from a small village alleged that their newborn was swapped and stolen by another couple, with hospital authorities complicit in the act. The allegation triggered caste tensions and community disputes. The district medical superintendent ordered DNA testing, which established that the infant was indeed the biological child of the couple, ruling out swapping.

A similar doubt shook a young adult's life when relatives convinced him he was exchanged at birth. An old couple even claimed him as their son. Depressed, he sought scientific clarity. Truth Labs' DNA test confirmed he was biologically related to the parents who raised him. Truth Labs chairman Dr KP C Gandhi says DNA fingerprinting has been solving several issues, including IVF fraud, exposing exploitation in fertility care.

Trafficking racket exposed

Police investigations into a suspected human trafficking case from Uttar Pradesh involving a couple and their son highlighted how DNA analysis exposed the racket. The accused claimed all the four girls aged 3, 4, 14, and 19 in their custody were their daughters. The diversity in the physical appearance of the children raised doubts. DNA profiling by the Hyderabad-based lab proved that none of the girls was related to each other, nor to the accused. Police arrested the couple and their son, extending the probe to their wider network.

As per the Adoption Rules 2022, the DM handed over the girls for adoption. DM Pawan Kumar handing over both the girls for adoption to a single couple mother residing in America at the Collectorate on Monday...

Gopalganj, Hindustan Correspondent. Two girls living in the city-based Vishesh Adoption Institute were handed over to a single mother and a US-based couple for adoption on Monday as per the rules of Adoption Rules 2022. In his chamber at the Collectorate, DM Pawan Kumar Sinha finally handed over both the girls to the mother and the couple for adoption. The said two girls were found by the Vishesh Adoption Institute on the road a few months ago. Now the rest of the life of both the girls will be spent in America. It was told that in Regulation 13 and Regulation 36 of Adoption Regulations-2022, the DM has to issue the final order of adoption within a period of two months.

On this occasion, the DM appealed to all the people of the district that if they find any orphan or abandoned child, do not keep him/her with you. Hand over the child to the Special Adoption Institute Hajiapur Gopalganj of the District Child Protection Unit Gopalganj, run by the Social Welfare Department. At the same time, if a childless couple wants to adopt a child, they can apply online through the website 'Central Adoption Resources Authority. For special information, Vijay Kumar Coordinator Gopalganj can be contacted at Special Adoption Institute Gopalganj on mobile number 8210491152. Assistant Director of District Child Protection Unit Prashant Mishra, Dr. Mankeshwar Kumar Singh, Dilip Kumar, Vijay Kumar Pandey and Vijay Kumar etc. were present on the occasion.