Many late adopters struggle with serious problems and abuse after their traumatic start in life.

Society does not have a box for Alex Balógh. She is diagnosed with ADHD, emotionally unstable personality disorder and has self-harming behaviour. 

She is homeless, addicted to benzodiazepines, opioids and other prescription drugs. 

But she fits well into one box. A box that can explain why Alex has been fighting with herself for 26 years.

BRUSSELS — A coalition of six child rights NGOs met the European Union’s new leadership this week, aiming to cement child protection and participation as priorities for the bloc in the next five years and beyond.

“Egos and logos stay outside the room. When we are going here to the commissioners … there is no competition”

— Richard Pichler, special representative for external affairs and resources, SOS Children’s Villages International

The NGO leaders from Joining Forces — uniting ChildFund Alliance, Plan International, Save the Children International, SOS Children’s Villages International, Terre des Hommes International Federation, and World Vision International — were in Brussels to meet with the European Commission, European Parliament, and European External Action Service.

Richard Pichler, special representative for external affairs and resources at SOS Children’s Villages International, told Devex that International Partnerships Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen is seeking the group’s input on a number of issues.

An Irish law that gave adopted people the right to access their birth records has led to more than 10,000 applications during its first year of operation.

The Birth Information and Tracing Act, external was designed to end much of the secrecy embedded in Ireland's 70-year-old adoption system.

But for many adoptees waiting decades for answers about their early lives, the new procedures meant delays and frustration.

The legislation created a new family tracing service and throughout the year 5,500 requests to find relatives were submitted.

However, due to the complexity of some searches, 53% of tracing requests are yet to be allocated to staff.

Flemish Minister of Welfare, Public Health and the Family Hilde Crevits is having the adoption landscape and the legal framework surrounding it reformed. This is done after previous recommendations from an expert panel and extensive consultation with all those involved. In the future, stricter supervision will be exercised to ensure that adoptions take place in the interests of the child. For example, there will be a systematic screening of countries of origin and independent experts will also assess adoption processes. It will also no longer be possible to adopt a child without guidance from the adoption service. And prospective parents for adoption and foster care will be better informed about the two options in the future.

“I absolutely believe in a future for intercountry adoption in Flanders, but only with a philosophy in which the interests of the child are absolutely central.  We have worked very hard in recent years with all partners on the necessary changes . Adoption should primarily be a search for a suitable family for a child and not the other way around. We therefore build in extra guarantees that adoptions are carried out correctly and morally. Good guidance is essential. It should not be about more-more-more adoption, but about better-better-better. We also connect adoption and foster care more strongly. In foster care we see many children waiting for foster parents, while in adoption we see just as manyseeing parents waiting for a child. That is why we would like to introduce all people who would like to care for a child to the two options. Ultimately, they can then make their own well-informed choice. In this way we hope to give more children a warm home.” – Flemish Minister of Welfare and Health Hilde Crevits  

To ensure that the interests of the child are absolutely paramount in intercountry adoption and to further eliminate the risk of malpractice, Flemish Minister of Health and Family Hilde Crevits has the Flemish regulations on adoption amended. The reform is based on the recommendations of an expert panel who provided several recommendations on intercountry adoption in mid-2021 and which various working groups started working on in concrete terms. A new screening instrument is already being implemented. The working groups included experienced experts and partners from the adoption sector, as well as adopted people and adoptive parents themselves.

Closer supervision of cooperation with countries of origin

In order to more effectively exclude the risk of malpractice and to carry out intercountry adoption in Flanders in a high-quality manner, the systematic screening of countries of origin will be enshrined in law as a principle and some assignments of the authorities involved will be changed.

Rowan Veltman (18), or better known as 'Mats' in 'Good Times, Bad Times', would like to see an adoption storyline in the soap opera. He said this during a question round on Instagram.

Mats is a new character in the soap opera and makes a big impression as a homeless person in Meerdijk. For example, Shanti has dyed his hair, but he runs away without paying for it. He also does not pay for his meal in the café of the BOKS gym and thus manages to antagonize Rik. Yet both characters have forgiven him when they find out he is homeless. Mats currently even lives at Rik's house.

If it were up to the actor, he would soon be adopted by Shanti, he says during a Question and Answer on Instagram. "I am also adopted in real life, so it would be funny. Because then I would really just be playing my own storyline," says the actor. He believes that the role of Mats is tailor-made for him. “Mats is kind of a less expressive version of what I am.” 

He also hopes for a different storyline: "What I would find very cool to be able to put on screen is men with an eating problem. I have never seen it on TV myself." 

Rowan is no stranger to the TV world. In 2022 he will participate in  Holland's Got Talent  to put both the Frisian language and gender diversity on the map. "Gay, trans, bisexual or pan, it doesn't matter. You have to feel accepted," said Rowan during his audition, which he does in high heels. Thanks to the golden buzzer from jury member Edson da Graça, Rowan is in  the final , which he unfortunately loses to the dance group CDK JR. 

Nagpur: “Social Worker?!! Please don’t call me that – I consider ‘social work’ as minding other people’s business – that’s not my cup of tea! I run Shradhanand Anathalaya because I promised my late mother in law that I would do it.” “She passed away in 1989, I became a Trustee in 1990 but became Secretary only later – when the Orphange had really fallen into bad hands and lots of illegal things were going on. I had to set matters right.” “The Anathalaya land belongs to my (Buty) family, we built the building, so I feel a responsibility to keep it running – but I often ask in frustration ‘ couldn’t the family have started something else?”

You realize 5 minutes into the chat that Nisha does not mince words, she expresses what she feels without hesitation, but rather eloquently! She is a D Litt in English Literature after all and an Author of two books and an Academician/ Researcher to the core. Being point blank and straight forward also comes to her from being an Army child. The middle daughter of Brigadier Moghe , Nisha’s mother Vimal was a ‘princess’ of the Jamkhandi Principalty near Belgaum. Her elder sister, younger brother and she were all sent to various Boarding Schools from the age of 5 to 15. Nisha and her sister went to St. Joseph’s Convent in Panchgani. It was one of the best schools of the country at that time. Till 1948, it was run completely by English, German and French sisters but Indians took over after that. “From 48 onwards we had Goan sisters who were very into Music, Art, Sports, Gymnastics and games like Hockey. For picnics we walked from Panchgani to neighboring Hill station Mahabaleshwar and back. Discipline was everything, there was no mollycoddling.” And if you think it must have been a very luxurious life in the lap of all creature comforts think again! When Nisha joined, it was War time (second world war was on which ended only in 1949) so food was often scarce. They had to make do with what was available – it taught them to be non fussy and be thankful of what was put before them. Boarding school was also a necessity since her father was in the Army and was always getting transferred. There was no transfer allowance then and the children could often visit their parents just once a year during summer holidays – travelling by themselves and changing trains 2-3 times. Their Army dad too took them on long treks in forests and mountains on his free days – so physical fitness is something ingrained into them right from childhood

“Moping, sulking, making demands of parents… were absolutely not known to kids then! I observe it in children only now – even in the Orphanage kids.” College was partly in Loretto Calcutta and then Delhi where Nisha had to be a Home Scholar despite getting admission in Miranda House since her mark list did not arrive in time. When she got married into the Buty family of Nagpur both her husband and she were still students. He a Medical student and she English Literature. Her mother in law was fully into running of the Anathalaya. Nisha, who was busy raising her family and reading and writing her books was given just one instruction by Sasuma. “Keep this Anathalaya for orphans and destitute women going after I am gone.” Nisha first joined as a Trustee.She was at first just an observer and did not believe in rocking the boat. Also meetings were held just 3 – 4 times an year. But she could sense something was wrong – very wrong. Though lots of funds were supposed to be coming in from foreigners the children looked malnourished and had rickets. Then she heard rumours of children/ babies being sold to foreigners without proper adoption proceedings. Sumatibai Dhanwatey was the President and Mrs. Abrol was Secretary. The racket that was being run by these two finally came out in the open and created a scandal. The shit hit the fan. Yeshwantrao Chavan, who was C.M. at that time had to mediate and a High Court Committee was set up to supervise the running. Meanwhile, Basantlal Shaw, whose NECO was new to Nagpur that time and the family was “just coming up” according to Nisha, was made President. He gave donation of Rs. 5000/ for which he never got a receipt! That was the state of affairs. Finally in 1999 Nisha reluctantly took over as Secretary. “Only because I had promised to do so.” She then realized how beset with problems the Anathalaya was. Women and children did not have enough to eat. There was sickness and unhappiness all around. At the first opportunity girls tried to run away. Unwed pregnant females came in from the ages of 13 to 40 – sometime widows even.

New crimes at EU level would include forced marriage, illegal adoption and surrogacy for reproductive exploitation

Broader scope for law enforcement to dismantle criminal organisations

Penalties for companies convicted for trafficking

Ensuring victims are not prosecuted for criminal acts they were coerced into committing

On Thursday, the committees on Women’s Rights and Civil Liberties adopted a draft position on revised rules to combat human trafficking and to help its victims.

- Hey, I just want to know if you're still standing here later today.

A man's voice interrupts my thoughts while I am standing on Jagtvej in Nørrebro waiting for a colleague this Monday morning.

I look up and see a young family man with a child seat on the bike. He looks like someone on his way to work.

After a few seconds it dawns on me what he is actually asking me. And for the rare occasion I get so pissed off that I get nothing but "uh, NO!" before he cycles on in a hurry.

'Land in the wrong family'

CHILD, INTERRUPTED: INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION IN THE CONTEXT OF CANADIAN POLICY ON IMMIGRATION, MULTICULTURALISM, CITIZENSHIP, AND CHILD RIGHTS

On September 17, 2023 the New York Times published an article titled “World’s Largest ‘Baby Exporter’ Confronts Its Painful Past.'” In response, Holt President and CEO Dan Smith wrote a letter to the editor reinforcing Holt’s long-standing commitment to ethical international adoptions. Below you can read this letter as well as a description of Holt’s history and an explanation of our work on behalf of orphaned and vulnerable children around the world.

To the Editor: 

Holt International Children’s Services commends your story titled World’s Largest ‘Baby Exporter’ Confronts Its Painful Past that sheds light on past adoption practices. But it didn’t tell the whole story. 

Holt International Children’s Services, an accredited child placement agency, has advocated for 65 years for stronger and standardized adoption practices worldwide, which led to U.S. adoption in 2008 of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption to ensure the interest of children is given priority. 

Holt has a longstanding commitment to ethical standards that emphasize family-strengthening services that result in children remaining with their birth families. For children without the option of remaining with a birth family, we advocate domestic adoption so children grow and thrive in the culture of their birth.