By Judith HavemannDecember 10, 1987

A White House task force on adoption has recommended that adoption of children by homosexuals "should not be supported," but otherwise called for few innovations in the complex adoption field.

The task force, established in August to make specific recommendations on how adoption could be encouraged, called for legislation providing Social Security benefits for adopted children and health insurance coverage for disabled adopted children.

"The task force has ignored the staggering costs, archaic agency procedures and stifling requirements which have so long burdened the adoption process," said Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-Colo). "The task force chose to rail against abortion and to judge the appropriateness of homosexuality and transracial adoptions."

Schroeder estimated that adoption costs to a family now run between $5,000 and $10,000.

Based on the Colombani report, the Secretaries of State for the Family, Nadine Morano, and for Foreign Affairs, Rama Yade have set up a plan to facilitate adoptions in France and abroad.

The government is finalizing a plan to facilitate adoptions in France, where too few children are adoptable, and abroad, where procedures will be reviewed to give French couples more chances, in the face of "competition from countries like Italy.

Based on the Colombani report submitted to the Elysée Palace in March, the proposals of the Secretaries of State for the Family, Nadine Morano, and for Foreign Affairs, Rama Yade, will be presented to the Council of Ministers on August 21, but the Ministers in unveiled the essentials to the press on Monday.

Reformed in 2005, the French adoption system is not working well, according to the former boss of Le Monde, Jean-Marie Colombani, whose proposals should be widely followed by the government, in particular the creation of a real Central Authority responsible for alleviating the current lack of coordination.

In the immediate future, an Interministerial Adoption Committee has been created, led by Nadine Morano, she specified. An ambassador for international adoption, Jean-Paul Moncheau, was also appointed in June.

The move came after Mysuru based-NGO filed a petition before the SCRPC alleging that the SJM mutt was illegally running the Akkamahadevi hostel for orphans .

The Karnataka child rights committee on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into the alleged irregularities at the Madilu adoption centre at the Sri Jagadguru Murugharajendra (SJM) mutt in Chitradurga, people familiar with the development said.

The state child rights protection commission (SCRPC) directed the state child protection directorate and Chitradurga superintendent of police (SP) to probe the alleged lapses of the district’s child welfare committee and district child protection unit (DCPU).

The move came after Mysuru based-NGO Odanadi filed a petition before the SCRPC alleging that the SJM mutt was illegally running the Akkamahadevi hostel for orphans under Madilu programme of the state government for decades.

The mutt registered the adoption centre with the state authorities only in 2018.

As of 15 January 2023, Justus Kox will be appointed Director of Sanctions and Victims Policy, part of the Directorate-General for Punishment and Protection of the Ministry of Justice and Security.

Justin KoxShow options

Preventing crime, protecting victims and vulnerable persons, punishing perpetrators and offering perspective, that is what the Directorate-General for Punishment and Protection (DGSenB) stands for. The Sanctions and Victims Policy Directorate (DSenS) of the DGSenB focuses on the timely and careful implementation of custodial, freedom-restricting and monetary sanctions. Within all components, the protection and support of victims of crime is central.

The major tasks facing the Director of SenS together with the employees within the Board in the coming period include reducing recidivism by improving the effectiveness of the sanctions system and looking for ways to improve the TBS system and to improve the approach of people with disturbed behaviour. The development of multi-year policy to safeguard the interests and rights of victims and offenders is also an important priority. This requires a strong connection with the entire playing field of DSenS and the search for a balance between responsible implementation of policy assignments versus social and political pressure.

Eric Bezem, Director General of Punishment and Protection: 'We are very pleased that Justus is using his energy and connecting skills to improve the sanctions system and safeguard victims' rights. A policy area with a broad implementation practice with which there is intensive collaboration to ensure that the Netherlands becomes safer. That is in good hands with Justus.'

Bengaluru, Nov 15 (IANS): The State Children Protection Committee on Tuesday directed the Directorate of Child Protection to submit within seven days a report on the dereliction of duty by the officers concerned.

Based on committee's president Naganna Gowda's direction, the officers of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and Child Protection officers of Chitradurga will be inquired.

The order has been issued following the submission by Stanley and Parashu, founders of Odanadi NGO that exposed the scandal.

Several illegalities had come to light after the lodging of a POCSO case against Lingayat seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru. The allegation surfaced on children being nursed in the mutt illegally without adhering to the guidelines of adoption.

Meanwhile, in yet another important development, Parashurama Nayaka, from the royal heritage of Chitradurga rulers, has demanded reformation of the historical cash rich Mutt's administrative board. He also stressed that the royal family should also have representation.

World Adoption Day highlights the importance for people to try and understand the process of adoption in South Africa.

The adoption process in South Africa is at times viewed as difficult and Kravits explains that the process ensures that the children are handed to suitable parents. Children as well need to be prepared for adoption and the children also would be assessed to ensure that they are adaptable, she notes.

The reason why the process may seem difficult is to make sure that the applicant knows what they want and why they want to adopt.

Sue Kravitz, Director - Child Protection and Adoption Services

Kravitz further explained that as part of the adoption process, Adoption South Africa also encourages adoptive parents to open up to their adoptive children about adoption as that will build trust and strengthen their bond.

My story is a family coming together through international adoption.

The story of my family is familiar to some of you. The context might be remembered by others, even if you don't know our story specifically.

It began 8,435 kilometers away, yet not really. The origin was right here, in the desire of my husband and I to have a family. Unknown by us, and yet running parallel to our discussion, were factors leading up to a political uprising in the country of Romania. The two would soon intersect.

What did I know of Romania? Not much. An eastern bloc country. Stellar performances from athletes at the Olympics. But then a dramatic revolution took center stage—and grabbed our attention.

For seven days before Christmas in 1989 protestors took to the streets to express outrage over the policies of dictator Nicolai Caecescu. Massive demonstrations took place in Bucharest, including in front of his palace, where white crosses would soon mark the places 1,104 people died in the uprising. As the international media shone a spotlight on the country the picture that emerged was desperate. Among the many stories was seeing that the country's orphanages were overrun with children whose families had no option but to place them in the care of the state.

Hoping to give another abandoned child a home, Sarah Salmon visits an orphanage in Cambodia.

Idon’t want a biological child. Most people think that’s odd. In fact, they don’t believe me. But after three rounds of supposedly “non-invasive” fertility treatment, I am 100 per cent sure.

“You don’t want to try IVF?” my husband, Ben, asks regularly.

“Positive,” I say.

I look into my 18-month-old daughter’s black possum eyes every day – beautiful eyes gifted to her by her birth mother – and I am saturated with love. I squish Sophea’s Cambodian button nose against my pointy Caucasian one and I inhale her sweet scent. It’s an unbeatable high.

Louis Michel, Member of the Commission. (FR) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the Commission is very aware of the situation in Guatemala, as reported on by a variety of United Nations special envoys, as well as by the European Parliament delegation despatched to Guatemala in April. Within the framework of implementing the 1996 peace agreements, defending human rights is a key priority in our relations with Guatemala.

Regarding the adoption of children, the Commission has, since 2004, supported the actions regularly taken by the European Union in respect of the Guatemalan authorities. These actions enable us to express our concern about the failure properly to implement The Hague Convention. The contacts between the European Union and UNICEF have also been satisfactory in this regard, particularly on the occasion of the recent visit to Guatemala by the Secretary General of the Hague Conference, Mr van Loon. This visit enabled a climate more favourable to the necessary implementation of the aforesaid convention to be created. At the same time, the Commission supports a series of cooperation projects concerning the problems surrounding the trafficking in children in Guatemala and the fight against child pornography, and it does this within the framework of the ‘country’ strategy for the period 2007 – 2013, which is in the process of being defined. We intend to supplement and increase these efforts by means of a cooperation policy entirely focused on the protection and overall affirmation of children and young people, particularly young people and families at risk.

The Commission has also associated itself with a variety of actions by the European Union in support of, in particular, the Interior Minister and the Public Prosecutor. These have enabled us to express our concern about the human rights situation, including the growing violence against women and the attacks on those organisations set up to protect human rights. In terms of cooperation, the overall indicative budget of the European Union allocated to Guatemala in the area of human rights and democratisation for the period 2002 – 2006 amounts to EUR 18 million. This aid includes support for the judicial authority and for the office of the human rights public prosecutor in the rural areas. The Commission has also launched a specific ‘gender’ programme, aimed more specifically at indigenous women and equipped with a budget of EUR 6 million.

Finally, the Commission has approved a budget of EUR 1.2 million in support of establishing the office – due to be ready by July 2005 – of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Guatemala.

Where our future cooperation is concerned, the absolute priorities in our relations with Guatemala are still social cohesion, rural and local development, including the definition of a comprehensive food aid strategy, and, finally, the advancement of the indigenous peoples.

EXCLUSIVE: Woman given up for adoption in Australia by unwed mother who was sent Down Under to have her is reunited 60 years on with British family she never knew she had

Suzy Fraser, 64, was given up for adoption after her mother was sent to Australia

Her unwed mother Janet was packed off from Portsmouth to give birth in 1958

Janet had asked not to be contacted but Suzy did and found out she had siblings

Suzy has been reunited with her siblings Sharon, 57, Eileen, 54, and Steve, 61