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International adoptions: two brothers from Guatemala file a complaint in France for "kidnapping"

The two men, now aged 45 and 46, were taken from their mother to be adopted in France, and only discovered the truth in 2019. By publicizing their case, they hope that other victims will be identified, and will not hesitate to assert their rights before international courts.

Javier and Lorenzo (their names have been changed) were 3 and 4 when they were taken from their mother in Guatemala. While she thought she was placing them in a center for malnourished minors, they were sent to France through a private organization approved by the State, Les Amis des enfants du monde (AEM), to be adopted by a Parisian couple. For thirty-eight years, they lived in the fable of abandonment. And only discovered the truth of their theft in January 2019. Their mother, torn all her life by the disappearance of her little boys, had just died two months earlier in Guatemala.

It is for what Javier describes as "trafficking in human beings" that the two men, now aged 45 and 46, filed a complaint, Thursday, November 17 in Paris, for "kidnapping". The complaint is based in part on documents found in Guatemala by Le Monde at the end of an investigation into the channels of international adoption, the various sections of which were published in December 2021. The two children, underlines the text of the complaint, entered France in 1981 "in violation of French immigration laws, a violation which could not be ignored by the organization Les Amis des enfants du monde and which was permitted by the serious negligence of the State authorities of the two States". Contacted by Le Monde,the AEM did not wish to speak.

“I am convinced that our complaint will move a lot of lines, says Javier. It is shown that the irregularities were also committed here, not only in Guatemala. My fight is for France not to normalize child abduction and allow full compensation for victims like my brother and me. »

Prescription pitfall

Abandoned on road, differently-abled boy from Bihar adopted by US doctor couple

Bihar News: The couple from Washington in the US was on a tour of India when they came across 3-year-old Arjit from Danapur in Bihar. The couple completed the documentation process for adopting the child on Thursday.

Danapur (Bihar): A 3-year-old differently-abled boy, who was abandoned by his parents on a road during a chilling winter night three years ago, was adopted by a doctor couple from the United States recently.

The couple from Washington in the US was on a tour of India when they came across Arjit from Danapur in Bihar. The couple completed the documentation process for adopting the child on Thursday.

On Thursday, Danapur SDO Pradeep Kumar handed over the Arjit to the couple after verifying all the details and other legal proceedings.

Meanwhile, the American couple- Dr. Carlin Roy Miller and her husband Kathleen Shublian- has applied for Arjit’s passport to take him to his new home in Washington. The couple already has three children, including two sons and a daughter.

Raised on Patna’s streets, 8-yr-old orphan to board US flight

Patna (Bihar) [India], December 2 (ANI): ‘There are angels in human shape’ — so goes the phrase on the lips of everyone who received the heartwarming news about Arjit, an orphan boy from Patna.

Raised on Patna’s streets, the eight-year-old is all set board a transcontinental flight to the United States to shart a new chapter of his life.

The specially-abled orphan was found abandoned on the streets amid biting cold in Patna’s Bihta, three years ago. However, the boy is about to turn a corner in his young life as he has been adopted by a doctor couple in the US.

It is understood that the couple will fly down to Patna and head back with an adopted son, having already completed all the necessary paperwork.

According to sources, the couple will fund his medical treatment in the US.

Learning about adoption

After celebrating World Adoption Day a week ago, we continue to cover important factors under this broad topic.

A WEEK ago, we celebrated World Adoption Day. Under this broad topic, we covered the adoption process in South Africa and the importance of this process. We highlighted what qualifies a minor to be adopted and who is eligible to adopt. In continuation of the topic, in this article, we highlight how to qualify for adoption and the remaining process of this legal action which includes the intervention of the Children’s Court, as well as clearing misconceptions.

According to the Department of Social Development, in order to qualify to be a prospective adoptive parent, you ‘must’ match the criteria as set out in Section 231 subsection 2. You need to be:

fit and proper to be entrusted with full parental responsibilities and rights in respect of the child;

willing and able to undertake, exercise and maintain those responsibilities and rights in respect of the child;

Reasons For Low Level Of Adoption In India

Finding Home For 30 Million Abandoned Children: How Can India Attain High Adoption Level?

Vidyadhar Prabhudesai

Writer: Vidyadhar Prabhudesai (Guest Author)

India, 25 Oct 2022 7:48 AM GMT

Creatives : Shiva Chaudhary

Bevestiging zoeken in oude foto van je moeder (Look for confirmation in your mother's old photo)

Carlos Dunnink (21), adopted from Colombia, where he has already traveled three times.

I was adopted by my parents when I was eight weeks old. So my roots are far away, in Colombia. The only thing I have from there is a note that my mother gave me at the time, together with a photo of her. Those are precious possessions, but without memories. I know what my mother looked like 21 years ago and that poverty was the reason she gave me up for adoption. I don't know anything about my biological family.

That photo of my Colombian mother: I often looked at it. To keep remembering what she looks like. Sometimes I also try to see characteristics of myself in it. For example, people sometimes say to each other: “You look a lot like your father.” I never hear that.

Being adopted has never bothered me. My parents have always handled it very well. I've never had the idea that I'm different. The fact that my only brother has also been adopted, and is also from Colombia, may have contributed to this. And I also have cousins ??who are adopted. My eldest cousin is a month older than me and he is also from Colombia. So the rest of the nieces and nephews know no better than that their eldest cousins ??have colored skin, black hair and brown eyes. They never had to get used to us.

As a child you take it for granted that you have a different skin color than most others around you. You don't stop there. And in my case there was never a moment when I suddenly became aware of this. It was a gradual process. Gradually I discovered that my background is very different from that of my classmates.

Out-of-home placement can improve the well-being of children and parents

Child protection measures can help to improve the well-being of parents and their children. The violence also seems to stop more often, according to research.

Yara van BuurenOctober 28, 2022 , 9:36 AM

Every year in the Netherlands, more than 100,000 children are abused at home. The cause is often an accumulation of risk factors, which makes the approach particularly complex. If there are concerns about the safety and development of the child, a juvenile court may order that the minor be placed under the supervision of a family guardian. The child can also be removed from the home.

In recent decades, a great deal of research has been carried out into the functioning of youth protection. Yet little research has been done into the effectiveness of these far-reaching interventions. The Verwey-Jonker Institute has a study on Thursday showing that child protection measures help to improve the family situation.

For the study, more than 1300 families were followed for a year and a half in which there is evidence of child abuse. A supervision order and/or custodial placement was imposed on 480 families. Compared to families that have no involvement from youth protection, a clear improvement can be seen in the well-being of the children. Bonding with parents improves, emotional safety increases and trauma complaints decrease sharply.

International adoption today and how it’s changing

Holt is acting to holistically address the changes with lifelong support

Eugene, OR, Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In honor of National Adoption Month, Holt International Children’s Services is showcasing the evolution of international adoption and emphasizing Holt’s lifelong adoption services available to families and adoptees. In addition to these services, the organization’s partnerships allow for families to apply for funding to support their international adoption journey. Holt representatives and affiliates are available to share relevant stories for media representatives during National Adoption Month including:

Do you want to know more about international adoption and how it is evolving? Eugene-based Holt International has welcomed over 44,000 children from 27 countries through international adoption and today reaches over 1 million children and individuals around the world. Truth is, the profile of adoption has significantly changed, and Holt is growing to provide holistic support services. If you seek to learn more about how adoption has changed and how Holt’s global impact is adapting, reach out today. We can present personal stories from adoptees and families to give insight and encouragement.

Post-Adoption Services are available for adoptees and families on their lifelong journey! Holt’s post adoption services team stands committed to serving all those whose lives have been touched by adoption: Adoptees, adoptive families, birth parents, and the entire adoption constellation. Holt offers these services to anyone seeking assistance, even if Holt was not the placing agency. Our team is here to care for families through their lifelong journey of adoption. To learn more about these programs, visit https://www.holtinternational.org/post-adoption/.

Funds may be available to assist with International Adoption! We believe that finances should not be the primary barrier to prospective adoptive parents considering adoption. We partner with Gift of Adoption, Connected Hearts, and others who work to reduce or remove financial barriers for qualified families through grants and support.

Former Holt CEO accused of sex abuse.

Byline: Jeff Wright The Register-Guard

A lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges that former Holt International CEO David Cousineau sexually molested an underage girl for four years while he served as a Roman Catholic priest in the 1970s.

Cousineau resigned from the Holt position in April, two months after the adoption agency learned he had once been accused of molesting an 11-year-old boy in California. An independent law firm hired by Holt couldn't substantiate those allegations, but the agency decided the accusation had impaired Cousineau's ability to manage Holt.

The plaintiff in the new suit said in a telephone interview that she decided to file after learning Cousineau worked in a job involving children.

"I heard he worked with orphans, and I just thought that was a scary situation," she said. "I felt I had to come forward and that something needed to be done."

Cabinet still allows foreign adoption so as not to 'exclude' prospective parents

Justice minister Franc Weerwind wants to make foreign adoption possible again in order to "not exclude" prospective parents. Children's and human rights organizations are outraged. They believe that the minister does not put the interests of children first.

"There will always be people with an unfulfilled wish to have children. For example, people who have a same-sex partner. We want to offer that group a choice by still allowing adoption from abroad," a spokesperson for Minister Weerwind told NU.nl. . "If we completely stop foreign adoption, we will exclude these prospective parents. For the time being, we therefore see no reason to stop adopting from abroad."

The minister says that foreign adoption is only possible if a child cannot receive suitable care in its own country and there is no other option. The government will monitor this more closely. In addition, the Ministry of Justice and Security (JenV) expects that foreign adoption will automatically decrease. For example, 145 children from abroad were adopted in 2019. In 2015, this was still 304 children.

Intended parents can now adopt children from six countries: Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan, South Africa, Lesotho and Hungary. Adopting a child from China, the United States, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Colombia, Peru, Slovakia and the Czech Republic is no longer possible. In these countries it is more difficult to supervise adoption practices strictly, or the minister is of the opinion that suitable reception can better be arranged in the own country. The ministry is also investigating whether it will also remain possible to adopt children from Portugal and Bulgaria.

Mistakes cannot be avoided