A national government that has acted negligently in intercountry adoptions must do more than prevent new abuses. For example, by supporting adoptees financially in their search for information.

I was born twice. I don't remember anything about my first trip through the birth canal, but I still vividly remember the second time. My sister and I were dressed up: we wore short white dresses with brown trim and black shoes with low heels. For example, we flew from Seoul to Amsterdam together with a number of other children. Overjoyed to be there, our new parents looked into our eyes and stroked our hair as they spoke softly to us. Although we had no idea what they said, we let them be, because even with a second birth you have little choice. As a child, your fate is in the hands of adults.

This was in 1979. In the years that followed I adapted as best I could, although my environment regularly reminded me that I came from somewhere else. In addition, I had not only arrived at Schiphol with my sister, but also with memories of the village and the house we lived in, the aunt who took care of us, our father who came to visit, the children's home in which we lived. All this raised questions, but since answers were not forthcoming, I kept them to myself for a long time.

As an adoptee, you miss out on a lot of information that most people take for granted because you can't tap into the collective memory of your biological family. Because your family in the Netherlands knows nothing about the culture from which you are cut off. Because you don't have the options to look for information or don't know where to start. Because your native language is gone from your memory and it takes years to learn it again.

For example, it was not until 2005 that I saw two pieces of paper with the names and dates of birth of my Korean parents and the context in which my adoption took place. At that moment, some of many missing puzzle pieces fell into place.

MUMBAI: Mira Road police have arrested an 18-year-old youth for allegedly raping his 17-year-old adopted niece. The girl who along with her younger brother and a cousin sister were given for adoption to their late mother's neighbour after they lost both their parents in a span of four months. The police have also booked three other members of the family.
The girl, a class 12th student, left her adopted home and approached the police on August 9. The teenager had lost her father to cardiac stroke in September last year. Her mother had died by suicide in January. The siblings were taken to their paternal grandparents' home in Kandivli. Within 10 days, the teenager and her cousin were moved to an orphanage in Andheri after approaching the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). The brother was sent to a residential school in Boisar. As the teenager was keen on pursuing her education, she approached the CWC to be given for adoption to a 54-year-old woman, who was her late mother's neighbour. The CWC officers visited the family, and the siblings were sent to stay with them in April.
 

In her complaint, the teenager stated about not being allowed to pursue their education and instead being forced to change their religion. They also accused the family of physically harassing them and making them do household chores. The teenager stated that when she protested against the torture, the family threatened to send them back to the orphanage.
She said the accused sexually abused her earlier this month, while others were asleep. She left home on August 8, spent the night out and approached the police the next day.

MUMBAI: In a case where a two-year-old boy is at the centre of a legal battle between adoptive parents, who have raised him since he was two-day-old, and his biological parents, the Bombay high court has directed a trial court to decide the matter within six months. There will be no extension of time, clarified Justice Sharmila Deshmukh in a judgment pronounced on Saturday.
There are multiple petitions surrounding the toddler, of which the HC has set aside two orders of the city civil court in Mumbai which had ruled against the adoptive parents. The orders set aside include one of March 2002, which rejected their adoption petition of 2021, and one of March this year, rejecting their review plea and directing them to hand over the child's custody to the biological parents on a plea by the natural parents. Till then, however, the child will continue to stay with the adoptive parents, who claim that the biological parents had given the newborn for adoption and have even executed deed of adoption on July 16, 2021.
 

The biological father objected saying they had signed "without reading, understanding" documents given by a woman associated with a non-governmental organisation (NGO) named AHAM Foundation. He said the infant was handed over to the woman and adoptive parents were not there. The biological parents said that during the Covid pandemic, they lost jobs and the mother decided to keep the child in an institution for some days or for adoption, but later, after discussing with families, they were willing to maintain the child and sought rejection of the adoption plea.
The adoptive parents said adoption took place through the NGO, and the child was given in adoption as the biological parents, in their 20s, were not married at the time and had consented to adoption through affidavits. They subsequently married. The trial court rejected the adoption plea on grounds of lack of registered adoption deed and lack of consent, and said "mere custody of child" not sufficient proof that the child was legally adopted.

The rejection of the two orders, however, does not mean any conclusion in favour of the adoptive parents, said the HC, as the trial court is now required to decide a suit filed last year by the adoptive parents seeking a declaration that the adoption was valid. The HC said section 15 of Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act (HAMA), "valid adoption cannot be cancelled and, as such, inquiry into the validity of adoption by leading evidence is necessitated". It also said the law does not require registration of adoption deeds.
But the HC said "inquiry contemplated under the provisions of HAMA as regards the actual giving and taking of the child in adoption... was not conducted" in the trial court and the intention has to be gathered from their conduct with evidence in a trial.

MUMBAI: Bombay HC recently declined relief to the adoptive parents of a one-year-old child who had sought its intervention so that they continue to keep him with them.
The couple and the child’s biological parents are battling each other over the boy’s custody in the city civil court. The couple had moved HC to direct the Centre to amend the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956 (HAMA) “with respect to situations where custody is already handed over but consent is withdrawn”. They urged HC to issue norms in such cases to lower courts and pending framing of guidelines to direct the parties to maintain a status quo.
 

Justices Sanjay Gangapurwala and RM Laddha on September 20, though, said they “may seek appropriate relief before the court where proceedings are filed and pending”. The couple’s petition said they were desirous of a second child and wished to adopt. They had registered with the Central Adoption Resources Authority in November 2019 but there was no progress. In June 2021, they registered with NGO Aham Foundation. On July 16, 2021, its owner Julia Fernandes told them a newborn was up for adoption. While they were apprehensive about it, the child’s mother insisted on immediate adoption. After a small “give and take ceremony”, the adoption deed was executed with the biological parents and they were given custody of the child.
In September 2021, the couple filed an adoption petition under HAMA so they could submit the decree for Aadhar card and passport for the child. On March 16, 2022, the civil court dismissed their adoption petition holding adoption deed is not registered, and according to Section 16 of HAMA, “the court shall not presume that adoption is made in compliance with provisions of this Act”.

It further said as biological parents have objected to giving their child for adoption, “the adoption process can’t be completed without their consent”. In June 2022, the couple filed a review petition before the civil court and the biological parents filed for custody of their child.
The couple’s petition in HC said the adoption was complete when the adoption ceremony and signing of the adoption deed was done before a notary. Their advocate Aparna Vhatkar argued that therefore the adoption cannot be cancelled. The petition said the civil court erred in holding that the adoption deed is not registered as per HAMA as nowhere in section 16 it states that the adoption deed is required to be registered.

Advocates Edith and Mikhail Dey for the biological parents opposed the petition saying HAMA is not applicable as the biological mother is a Christian. The prospective adoptive parents and biological parents have to be Hindu to be governed by HAMA.

Prime accused Julia Fernandes got her accomplice Huma Dalvi arrested on Sunday after she revealed her name to the police while saying that they sold six babies together.

A 29-year-old woman and her accomplice, who were arrested in a baby selling racket, told the police that they had sent a 19-year-old pregnant girl to Indonesia to a couple, who later may have adopted her child.

Prime accused Julia Fernandes got her accomplice Huma Dalvi arrested on Sunday after she revealed her name to the police while saying that they sold six babies together.

Dalvi told the police that she got a passport made for a 19-year-old girl a few months ago and sent her to Indonesia to work for a couple. “Dalvi said she was sent as a domestic help but the girl was probably two months pregnant. The couple, who had allegedly bought the girl’s child, took care of her and after her delivery adopted the baby legally,” said an officer from Wadala TT police station. The police are now probing if there are any other cases with international links.

PROJECT COMPLETION ANNOUNCEMENT

" REAL CHANCES FOR A BETTER LIFE"

POCU/436/4/4/126814

"INIMA PENTRU INIMA " FOUNDATION implemented, in Valcea county, starting on 01.08.2019, the " REAL CHANCES FOR A BETTER LIFE " project. The project is co-financed by the European Social Fund, through the Human Capital Operational Program, Priority Axis 4: Social inclusion and combating poverty, Investment Priority 9.ii Socio-economic integration of marginalized communities, such as the Roma.

Implementation duration:

There are so many hidden faces in the Tata family that people don’t know about. Not only did they choose to stay away from the limelight, their contributions to their family business is not much known. One such Tata family member is the step-mother of Ratan Tata and the mother of Noel Tata, Simone Tata. She played a significant role in the making of Lakmé and driving it to success. But this is not the end. She is also responsible for establishing Tata’s Westside, a brand we all shop from.

Simone Tata came to spotlight, when she as the matriarch of the Tata family was the only person who attended the funeral of Cyrus Mistry from the Tata family. Given the severe breakup between the Tatas and Cyrus Mistry, Simone’s participation at the funeral became talk of the town.

Here’s the story of how this Swiss woman became a part of the Tata Family…

Simone Tata’s journey to India

Simone Tata’s journey began far away from the shores of India, in the city of Geneva, Switzerland. Born in 1930, she pursued her education at Geneva University, laying the foundation for her later endeavors. In 1953, fate led her to India, where she crossed paths with Naval H. Tata. Their union in 1955 marked the beginning of Simone’s lifelong association with India, as she made Mumbai her permanent home. Simone is the mother of Noel Tata, and her marriage to Naval also made her the stepmother of the renowned Tata group chairman, Ratan Tata.

From: Euro-Ombudsman <EO@ombudsman.europa.eu>
Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2023 at 12:27
Subject: Complaint 1327/2023/LM
To: arundohle@gmail.com <arundohle@gmail.com>
 

The failure by the European Commission to take a final decision within the applicable time limit on a request for public access to documents concerning a CJEU case related to OLAF’s decision not to open an investigation

Guwahati, Aug 12 (PTI) Union minister Munjapara Mahendrabhai on Saturday said that amendments in the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act, 2015, have been made for better protection of children in need of care or in conflict with law.
    He said these changes have also made it mandatory for states to deliver on all aspects of juvenile justice, including constituting child welfare committees and registration of child care institutions.
    The minister was speaking at the fifth one-day regional symposium on child protection, child safety and child welfare, organised here by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD).
    Representatives from all the eight northeastern states participated in the symposium, which was also attended by over 1,200 representatives from child welfare committees (CWCs), district child protection units, Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs), members of village child protection committee (VCPC) and Anganwadi workers.
    The programme is part of a series of regional symposiums to be held across the country to raise awareness about child protection, child safety and child welfare issues, a PIB release said.
    In his address, Mahendrabhai, Minister of State, MoWCD, highlighted the changes made in the JJ Act 2015, its rules and adoption regulations.
    "These changes will help in delivering better quality services to the children in need of care and protection and also children in conflict with law," he maintained.
    He said definitions of terms such as foster care, inter-country adoption, specialised adoption agencies and sponsorship have been duly amended.
    Similarly, it has been made mandatory for states to constitute Juvenile Justice Boards in every district, constitution of one or more child welfare committees in every district, mandatory reporting of a child found separated from guardian and registration of child care institutions, the minister added.
    Additional Secretary, MoWCD, Sanjeev Kumar Chadha, in his speech, appreciated the work being done by all the functionaries in different states for child welfare under the JJ Act.
    He highlighted the success of Child Helpline in various states and focused on the implementation of the principle of "no child is left out" to help them become responsible citizens of the country.
    National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Priyank Kanoongo shared the changes made in the spheres of child trafficking, street children, child adoption and monitoring of children care institutions.
    Giving an example of how NCPCR has been spearheading child welfare, he mentioned the case of Kiphire district in Nagaland.
    "We travelled for 17 hours by road from Dimapur to reach Kiphire. It was the first time that child welfare functionaries were visiting the district. We received over 250 complaints from the residents. We noticed the 20-year-old Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya there was functioning without a building. The issues were subsequently addressed. JNV Kiphire now has a school building," Kanoongo said.
    The successful interventions under Mission Vatsalya were also disseminated during the symposium, the release said.
    Mission Vatsalya is a roadmap to achieve development and child protection priorities aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It lays emphasis on child rights, advocacy and awareness along with strengthening of the juvenile justice care and protection system with the motto to 'leave no child behind'.
    The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 provisions and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 form the basic framework for implementation of the Mission.

The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which was passed in both Houses of Parliament during the Monsoon Session, has received the President's assent.

The law will allow the use of a birth certificate as a single document for admission to an education institute, issuance of a driving licence, preparation of a voter list, Aadhaar number, registration of marriage or appointment to a government job.

According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice, President Droupadi Murmu has given assent to the legislation.

The law will help create a national and state-level database of registered births and deaths which eventually would ensure efficient and transparent delivery of public services and social benefits, and digital registration.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said in Lok Sabha that the original Act had not been amended since its inception and to keep pace with the societal change and technological advancements during the period of its operation and to make it more citizen-friendly, there is a need to amend the Act.