Birth parents and adoptees may search for each other after the adoptee reaches the age of 18. Because Holt’s headquarters are in Oregon, Oregon law governs all of Holt’s post adoption services. Oregon Statutes 109.425 & 109.455 require an adoptee to be 18 or older to initiate a search themselves.

Our partner agencies in India are happy to hear from adoptees, and are willing to forward letters and photos to foster parents or other caregivers from the adoptee’s past. However, due to the current climate surrounding relinquishment in India, especially in cases of an unwed mother, these agencies typically will not conduct a search for birth parents, nor will they release any identifying information. Although some of the stigmas against unwed mothers are changing, contact from an adoption agency could have serious repercussions for the birth mother. The agencies may be willing to search for extended family members or married birth parents in a few rare cases. If you would like to discuss this further, we would be happy to talk with you. There is always the possibility that Holt can connect you with someone from your past who remembers you, has a story about you, or can provide insight into your history.

If you would like to discuss your background with a Holt staff person, we must first confirm that your adoption was indeed facilitated by Holt International. Once this has been verified you’ll receive an email with additional information.

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Over the course of the last six years, the minors in children’s homes under the care of the Child Welfare Society of Kenya (CWSK) around the country have suffered congestion, lack of proper medical care and experimental treatment procedures that sometimes leave them worse-off.

Investigations by the Sunday Standard and interviews paint a picture of neglect and an abdication of duty by the state agencyobligated to look after the less fortunate minors.

Children in the care of these state sponsored homes also suffer mistreatment, poor living conditions and in some instances, periodic abandonment of their education. The Sunday Standard brings you the story of the mess at CWSK and the devastating consequences the mess has had on lives of thousands of children under its care.

“After doing my orientation of one month at Mama Ngina Children’s Home, I was transferred to Waithaka,” a nurse at the CWSK told the Sunday Standard.

Waithaka is where children with special needs are sheltered. The physically challenged, some with bipolar disorders, as well as minors living with HIV. All these in constant need of proper medical care.

A Texas woman who headed an international program at an Ohio-based

adoption agency has pleaded guilty for her role in a scheme to corruptly

facilitate adoptions of Ugandan children through bribing Ugandan officials

and defrauding U.S. adoptive parents and the U.S. Department of State.

Longoria, who was released on a $20,000 bond will be sentenced on January

Explanatory

Report to the

Guidelines regarding the

implementation of the Optional

Protocol to the Convention on the

Explanatory

Report to the

Guidelines regarding the

implementation of the Optional

Protocol to the Convention on the

privileging the voice of adoptees

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Just over a week ago, the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs with the support of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council hosted a Symposium on Intercountry Adoption (ICA) in Washington DC. The purpose of the Symposium was to bring together a diverse group of ICA stakeholders in order to strengthen the future practice of intercountry adoption. Such stakeholders included professional adoption practitioners; attorneys; government officials from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of State; and Legislators as well as a number of others. Interested adoptive parents also attended, and historically, the Department invited adult adoptees as well as birth parents for the first time, as the Department’s aim was to “create a deeper understanding of the respective views and interests of each stakeholder group.” The Symposium gave a clearer comprehension of the roles of the many different governmental offices in intercountry adoption, and yet there is still much to learn about each entity and their direct roles. It became clear to me that our present system of intercountry adoption and the policies and regulations governing it are far more intricate than I imagined.

All of us care for the safety of children. All of us recognize their vulnerability. All of us want to protect them from those who would do them harm. Bringing all of us together, as this Symposium does, provides us with an opportunity to meet those goals in cooperation rather than in competition.

Carl Rische, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs

For more than a decade, Dutch gay couples have been able to adopt children from abroad. Before that, it was only possible through a so-called one-parent procedure. Nevertheless, adoption by gay couples is complex. How did that happen?

Limited possibilities

Foreign adoption by gay couples is legal in only three countries: South Africa, Portugal and the United States. Many countries only allow adoption to heterosexual couples from a religious or cultural perspective. In the United States, biological parents have the option of choosing the adoptive parents themselves; the so-called open adoption : "The mother of our son has made an adoption plan herself with the social workers in America. She has determined who the parents of her child can be and fortunately we maintain a lot of contact with each other. We saw each other last year Hopefully our son will look back on encounters like these later with a good feeling. "

Arnoud and his friend adopted their son from the United States five years ago. The adoption process took more than five years. He and his partner had to arrange a lot to meet all the conditions. "It was a long process, but with the help of our permit holder A New Way, it worked."

Arnoud thinks it is unjustified that so few countries today put children up for adoption to homosexual couples. Although he is happy that the legislation in the Netherlands does offer gay couples the opportunity to adopt, he does not agree with the legislation of many other countries. Arnoud: "The attitude of many countries that exclude homosexuals is indeed discriminatory."

Deoria Police, which earlier probed the case, filed a chargesheet against Girija and Kanchan. In the second FIR, seven others were charge-sheeted, said Arun Kumar Maurya, SHO, City Kotwali.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the probe into alleged sexual harassment and illegal detention of girls at a shelter home in Deoria.

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The shelter home was run by an NGO, Maa Vindhyavash Prashikshina Avam Samaj Seva Sansthan. The CBI Thursday lodged FIRs against its director Girija Tripathi and her daughter and superintendent of the shelter, Kanchan Lata Tripathi, under charges of sexual harassment, human trafficking, sexual assault, adoption without following prescribed procedures, wrongful confinement and assault or criminal force to deter public servants from discharging their duty, said a CBI official. The two were arrested last year.

Deoria Police, which earlier probed the case, filed a chargesheet against Girija and Kanchan. In the second FIR, seven others were charge-sheeted, said Arun Kumar Maurya, SHO, City Kotwali.

Staff

Kate Bradley joined the LBB family in 2012 and is Associate Director and head of social services and Child Placement Supervisor. Her passion for adoption was sparked while completing an internship at an adoption agency during college. Kate earned a Master of Social Work degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 2005. Over the course of the past 8+ years, Kate has worked in many areas of the adoption field. She began her career as a pregnancy counselor and in 2007, shifted to assisting eager families to achieve their dreams of becoming parents through adoption. Kate and her husband have two children, Kallum and Ryann. In addition, Kate is the adoptive mom of 2 huskies. She enjoys travel, cooking, books, and the active Colorado lifestyle. “For a long time there were only your footprints & laughter in our dreams & even from such small things, we knew we could not wait to love you forever.” Brian Andreas You may contact Kate at Kate@bbinternationaladoption.com or 303-333-1572 ext. 113.

Kelly Carmody is the Executive Director of A Love Beyond Borders. She has been providing support and guidance to adoptive families since 2003 and started with A Love Beyond Borders when it opened in 2008.

Kelly is a single parent to three teenagers who were adopted; Hope from Kazakhstan and Kevin and Laura from Colombia. Her two Colombian children joined the family first through the hosting program in Colombia. She loves animals and they have three dogs and a cat. She enjoys cooking, entertaining, reading, game nights and traveling. Favorite quote: "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." Eleanor Roosevelt You may contact Kelly atKelly@bbinternationaladoption.com or 303-333-1572 ext. 102.

Rachael Daugherty joined the LBB staff in 2013 as a social worker and provides our home study services for Colorado families as well as placement supervisor. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work and has worked in the field of adoption as a pregnancy counselor, international adoption case worker, and community relations coordinator. Rachael is originally from Georgia. Rachael has a little girl who loves all things pink and princessy and a son who loves to pretend to be a dragon. One of her favorite poets in Rainer Rilke so one of her life quotes has become: “Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.” You may contact Rachael at Rachael@bbinternationaladoption.com or 303-333-1572 ext. 114.

y Dr. Hanna Sofia Jung Johansson

South Korea has sent away more children for overseas adoption than any other country in history. The number of children sent away is unknown but numbers ranging from 175,000 to over 200,000 are mentioned.

The vast majority of these children were adopted during the 1970s (approximately 66,500 children) and the 1980s (approximately 23,000 children). This means that most of the children were adopted during the authoritarian regimes in Korea under Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan.

Accusations of child trafficking, child laundering and kidnapping are often heard in relation to overseas adoptions, including adoptions from South Korea. All these terms indicate that inter-country adoptions have been carried out by illegal and fraudulent means.

Numerous adoptees and families that have reunited bear witness to children being sent overseas without the parents' consent or knowledge. Despite this, the Korean government has never carried out an investigation of the children sent for overseas adoption.