‘I want my kids back,’ father of three kids sent abroad after adoption writes to CWC

TNN | Mar 3, 2020, 04.05 AM IST

Bhopal: The father of the three children, who were sent abroad after adoption in late January, reached the Child Welfare Committee on Monday alongwith the children’s grandmother and gave an application to get his children back.

Speaking to TOI, the helpless father said, “I had gone into depression after my wife’s death, so my mother had to take the children to the shelter home as she was not able to take care of all of us. Had I been well, I would not have sent them anywhere and would have brought them up myself. They have now snatched my children away from me and sent them so far that we cannot even go and meet them.

“My mother used to visit them around 4 -5 times a year until 2018. Later, she was told that the children get distracted from studies on seeing her, so she should not come to meet them so often. Then when she went to the shelter home on February 22, she was told about the adoption. She told me the whole thing and as I was working out of station, I boarded a train and came back as soon as I could. Never in my dreams would have I thought of giving up my children,” he said.

In Edinburgh, Scotland, Eurochild member Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) launched their annual report the State of Children’s Rights in Scotland. At the same event, the Observatory for Children’s Human Rights Scotland - a collaborative of Scottish organisations working to drive implementation of children’s human rights in Scotland, with local impact and global learning – was launched.

Achievements were celebrated and solid plans for progress made at the double launch of Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) State of Children’s Rights in Scotland report and the Observatory for Children’s Human Rights Scotland.

Scotland has, for many years, been exemplary for both political and non-governmental commitment to the implementation of children’s rights. Scotland has not only a Minister for Children and Young People (Scottish National Party MSP Maree Todd), but a Children and Young People’s Commissioner: Bruce Adamson. These roles, created to ensure children have a voice in political decision-making, show a government-level commitment to children’s rights in Scotland. 2019 proved no different: The Scottish government has committed to fully and directly incorporate the UNCRC and Optional Protocols into Scottish law by early 2021. This ground-breaking measure highlights the positive attitude of the Scottish government towards human rights as a whole. Before Together could even publish their recommendation for free public transport for children, the Scottish Government announced a scheme for free bus travel for under 19s.

However, Director of Together Juliet Harris noted that caution must be taken to ensure real change happens for children in Scotland. ‘Whilst there have been many legislative and policy developments – and high-level political commitments,’ she noted, ‘these have not always translated into real change in children and young people’s experience of their rights.’ In particular, child poverty remained a key issue that Together called on the Scottish government to tackle as a priority, with Juliet Harris noting that ‘the fact this is happening in Scotland today just isn’t good enough’. The potential loss of EU funding through Brexit added to these concerns.

Yet, commitments to ensure real change for the situation of children in Scotland are occurring. Speaker Maree Todd, Member of the Scottish Parliament and Minister for Children and Young People, celebrated the implementation of the UNCRC in Scottish law, as well as ‘our commitment to eradicate child poverty in Scotland, outlining concrete actions to make progress. Our plan to give £10 a week to families (the Scottish Child Payment) in most need will lift 30,000 children out of poverty. That is outstanding.’

GEZAMENLIJKE BEKENDMAKING STICHTING KIND EN TOEKOMST EN ADOPTIESTICHTING A NEW WAY

Stichting Kind en Toekomst heeft in oktober 2019 bekend gemaakt haar vergunning voor interlandelijke adoptie in oktober 2020 niet opnieuw te verlengen. Dit besluit is niet lichtvaardig genomen. De afgelopen jaren blijkt dat door de terugloop van het aantal beschikbare aspirant adoptief ouders, de verbeterde jeugdzorg in landen van herkomst en de openheid en draagkracht van beschikbare aspirant adoptief ouders in relatie tot de behoeften van kinderen het aantal plaatsingen terug is gelopen.

Kind en Toekomst heeft in dat kader besloten dat een zelfstandig adoptieprogramma niet langer opportuun is. Recent is Stichting Kind en Toekomst met Adoptiestichting A New Way (hierna ANW) verkennende gesprekken gestart voor de overdracht van de procedures en landen waarmee lopende adoptieprogramma’s bestaan. Vanzelfsprekend is en wordt dit proces gemonitord door de Nederlandse Centrale Autoriteit Interlandelijke Adoptie.

Voor ANW betekent dit dat de Stichting haar vleugels uit gaat slaan. In de afgelopen jaren heeft ANW een stevig adoptieprogramma vorm gegeven voor volledige bemiddeling vanuit de USA.

Algemene bekendmaking ten aanzien van overname Programma Slowakije

Siblings given for adoption without informing family

TNN | Feb 29, 2020, 04.12 AM IST

Siblings given for adoption without informing family

BHOPAL: Three siblings, aged 8, 11 and 15, living in SOS Balgram here, were given for adoption to a US-based couple in late January — even when their father and grandmother are alive.

The kids’ grandmother went to meet them on February 22 only to find that they are already adopted. The Bal Aayog of Madhya Pradesh has taken cognizance of the matter.

(Found on website on 28/2/2020)

Een aantal jaren geleden was kwam Meiling in het nieuws vanwege een mogelijk adoptieschandaal. Hoe zit dat?

In 1999 is een medewerker van Malaysian Social Services (MSS) gearresteerd op verdenking van overtreding van de regels van binnenlandse adoptie. Deze medewerker is onschuldig bevonden en vrijgesproken.

Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) verlengde in dat jaar de vergunning van MSS. CARA is de organisatie die in India alles rond de adoptie controleert.

In 2005 waren er opnieuw verdenkingen van onethische adoptiepraktijken van MSS. Op 12 februari 2019 heeft dit tot een uitspraak geleid. MSS heeft een boete van 10.000 rupees (= 127 euro) gekregen en een voormalig medewerker is veroordeeld. MSS is in hoger beroep gegaan tegen deze uitspraak en verwacht dat de straffen worden terug gedraaid. Nadat het hoger beroep heeft gediend, krijgen we van MSS de stukken toegestuurd.

"Dumping babies is forbidden," the sign created by Eric Mejicano reads. The Venezuelan artist posted the signs on walls across Venezuela after a newborn was found in the rubbish near his apartment block in the capital, Caracas.

Mejicano says that he launched the campaign to alert people to the fact that in Venezuela "something is becoming common which should never be considered normal".

The country's economy is in freefall and one in three Venezuelans is struggling to put enough food on the table to meet minimum nutrition requirements, according to a study by the UN World Food Programme.

With contraceptives hard to come by and beyond the financial means of many, unwanted pregnancies are common. Strict abortion laws which only allow for terminations in cases when the mother's life is in danger further limit women's choices.

Venezuela crisis in 300 words

The fate of the children sold from Sri Lanka

In the 1980s, hundreds of Sri Lankan babies were adopted by Swiss parents - many illegally. There is little hope for those affected.

Anja Konings would like to simply disappear into the crowd, make herself invisible. Something the 38-year-old has never succeeded in doing. She stood out as a child. At school they called the other children "Schoggistängeli", the teacher showed her in a mirror that they were right to say that Anja was different.

Her parents told her that she was not from her mother's womb. She was born to another woman in another country called Sri Lanka. Pictures from July 1982 near Colombo show how her adoptive mother held her in her arms for the first time. She only wore a Lümpli. Anja Konings did not learn more about the how and why of her adoption. "But I always felt that something didn't go together."

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"The transition of CCIs to FBC helps promote the NGO sector. There are some great ideas coming from the workshop which will strengthen family services access"

Vikas Sawant, UNICEF

On Thursday 27 February 2020, a unique event took place in Pune: an immersive simulation lab that allowed child protection allies in Maharashtra a hands-on look at transitioning from a system relying on child care institutions (CCIs; orphanages) to a system based on a range of family-based care (FBC) and family strengthening services. This was the first pilot of this conference model in South Asia and our report below shows it to have been a huge success!

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Snehalaya's credibility allowed us to approach the Maharashtra Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) and secure Chair, Pravin Ghuge’s support. Another important party in this venture was Children’s Emergency Relief International (CERI)’s Global Director of Advocacy, Ian Forber-Pratt, who is one of the people involved in drafting the guidelines for FBC at the national and state level. Mr Forber-Pratt has been providing Snehalaya with guidance on the move towards family-based care over the preceding 18 months.

In this radio broadcast of 'The public gallery', presenter Coen Verbraak talks to and about distant mothers and children who have been donated for adoption.

It still marks the lives of mothers and their children: forced renunciation. Until well into the 20th century, it was a disgrace in the Netherlands when unmarried women became pregnant. They had to give up their baby under pressure from the 1950s when adoption became legal. Because, the thought was, that is better for both mother and child.

Babies were often taken from their mothers immediately after birth, and some women were blindfolded during labor so that mother and child would not bond.

An estimated 13,000 mothers gave up about 15,000 children. This happened from the moment the adoption law (1956) was introduced until the legalization of abortion (1984). For many of them, it felt like they had no choice. Children feel unwanted, while traumatized mothers sometimes look for their child for a lifetime. It caused lasting embarrassment and sorrow to mother and child.

To this day, this black page in Dutch history is relatively unknown to people. The Ministry of Justice and Security recently launched an investigation to find out exactly what happened and whether there is anything to blame for the organizations involved. Children who have been relinquished are currently investigating whether they can sue the state. And reinforced by the stories of other distance mothers, more and more women are gradually telling their stories. Yet guilt and shame remain by far the majority of this group in the way.

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: Arun Dohle

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2020 at 15:14

Subject: Re: Phone call

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