"In secondary school, fellow students did the Hitler salute"

There is still a lot of ignorance about adoption. Sisters Maja and Adinda put the finishing touches on the i.

In the adoption debate, it seems like everyone gets a vote, except for the adopted ones themselves. For youth media agency StampMedia, journalist Anouk Torbeyns, himself an adoptive youngster, went looking for that voice. This is the story of Maja and Adinda.

Maja (33) and Adinda (30) are two adoptive sisters from Ghent. At a very young age they were adopted from India and Sri Lanka respectively. Now they feel completely Belgian, but it could also have turned out differently. In their youth, the sisters were regularly confronted with racism.

"If you grow up in the neighborhood of Geraardsbergen, chances are that you will be the only colored person," says Adinda. "In elementary school you hear things like 'you are not allowed to play because you are a brown cow'. In high school I was confronted with students who did the Hitler salute or threw French fries at my head."

Manat (26) is "eternally grateful" to his parents for adopting him

"I have been adopted and I am more than grateful to my adoptive parents. In fact, it is priceless. Thanks mum and dad." This is what the 26-year-old Manat Janmaat writes under an article from RTL News on Facebook about adoption. He shared his story because, according to him, adoption was put in too negative a light.

Yesterday we wrote how the number of adopted children from abroad who end up with Dutch parents continues to fall. According to emeritus professor of adoption René Hoksbergen, it is the result of adoption scandals, better reproduction techniques and more prosperity in former adopting countries.

Hoksbergen argues for a further reduction of foreign adoptions. "The impact of an adoption is large and although there are very good adoptive parents, you remove a child from a large part of his or her identity," Hoksbergen said earlier in Trouw. More than a hundred responses came to our story. Not everyone agreed with the professor.

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Daily fact. Adoptions, the "child thieves" are not there. The filing that nailed the authority: "groundless complaints and abuse of power

After 5 years the Court of Milan acquits a Milanese non-profit organization (n. Ai.Bi. - Amici dei Bambini) from the accusation of "buying children" in the Congo. The decree of archiving also shows the role played by a piece of the State in crediting accusations "unfounded" to the detriment of the sector, already grappling with nosedive numbers: the Adoption Commission, in the hands of ex-magistrate Della Monica, would have "crossed their institutional powers ", also committing" abuse of power "- subtitles the investigation signed by Thomas Mackinson of" Il Fatto Quodiano ".

In June 2017, Il Fatto Quotidiano, for the first time revealed the absurd plan of the former vice president of CAI, Silvia Della Monica: creating a parallel system of loyal authorized bodies, removing obstacles starting from Ai.Bi ..

Today, March 22nd, the journalist of the Adozioni inquiry, the dark side of the state: change at the top after three years of shadows, poisons and political-judicial conflicts - Thomas Mackinson - traces the 31 pages of motivations exposed by the GIP, Soria Fioretto in the decree of archiving of the investigation for "complete groundlessness of the news of crime" initiated against the leaders of the Amici dei Bambini association on alleged irregularities committed in the carrying out of international adoptions in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

We report the new Thomas Mackinson investigation for Il Fatto Quotidiano "Adoptions, the" child thieves "are not there. The filing that nails the authority: "groundless complaints and abuse of power"

Adoptions, the "child thieves" are not there. The filing that nails the authority: "groundless complaints and abuse of power"

After 5 years the Milan Court acquits a Milanese non-profit organization from the charge of "buying children" in the Congo. The decree of archiving also shows the role played by a piece of the State in crediting accusations "unfounded" against the sector, already grappling with numbers falling: the Adoption Commission, in the hands of the ex-magistrate Della Monica, would have "crossed their institutional powers ", also committing" abuse of power "

Italians are not "Thieves of children". The crime report was unfounded. A few days ago the Court of Milan issued a decree to dismiss the criminal proceedings against the heads of "Aibi - Amici dei bambini", a body in San Giuliano Milanese active in international adoptions in Congo since 2007. They were investigated in 2017 for alleged serious crimes following a series of complaints lodged with the Public Prosecutor's Office of Rome in 2014 by the then Vice President of the International Adoptions Commission, Silvia Della Monica. The investigation was then transferred to Milan for territorial jurisdiction. The association, according to the original hypothesis of Della Monica, had used the money offered as a donation by the aspiring parents to corrupt the Congolese judicial and police authorities to obtain the issue of "adoptability decrees" of minors, which would have been so "Bought" and removed from the legitimate natural families to then be sent to adoptions in reality not needed.

The international scandal was told in episodes by the weekly L’Espresso, starting from a cover with an alarming title: “Thieves of children. Shock investigation "then awarded as" cover of the year ". Three years after that publication and five from the first accusations, the castle of hypothesized crimes proved - in the words of the investigating magistrate Sofia Fioretta - unfounded on the merits: "There are no concrete procedural elements, not even circumstantial, to hypothesize to support in a judgment that AiBi had "paid" the natural parents as compensation to be able to bring their children to adoption ". So for the other very serious accusations, which ranged from the criminal association to the violation of the rules on adoptions, up to the hypothesis of mistreatment.

The decree of no place to proceed, which we publish in full (DOWNLOAD), is important because, in addition to rehabilitating the defendants and the Milanese body, it raises the adoption sector from a shameful shadow cast for years without a founded reason. On a sector already grappling with dive numbers compared to the past. The decision that archives a long season of poisons gives us a glimpse of the responsibility of a piece of the State, that International Adoption Commission (CAI) that the legislator has placed directly under the umbrella of the Presidency of the Council, so high and delicate is the sphere of rights which had to protect, together with the legality in the adoption procedures. Well, the decree today tells how from that position, instead, a black page was written in which the public authority "went beyond its institutional powers and committed an abuse of power". Thus writes the magistrate on page 22 of the decree.

Garage sales are not unusual in Western Branch. However, Caroline and Kirk Kalmbacher are seeking to shrink the contents of their home to grow their family.

The Kalmbachers have organized a garage, yard, and pop-up bake sale on March 30 and March 31 to raise the money to adopt a child, ideally two, from India.

They set their hearts on adopting a child from India in 2017 and have been going through the complicated and costly adoption process for almost a year.

Kirk Kalmbacher works for the U.S. Coast Guard in Yorktown. He found out about Indian adoptions from a colleague who went through the process.

“We had thought about China and many other countries," Caroline Kalmbacher said. "We had never thought of India."

Do we have to stop adopting foreign countries? "I wish everyone such a beautiful life''

The number of adopted children from abroad who end up with Dutch parents keeps falling. A logical consequence of the adoption scandals, better reproduction techniques and more prosperity for former adopting countries, says emeritus professor of adoption René Hoksbergen. He argues for a further reduction of foreign adoptions, but not everyone agrees.

Last year, 156 children from abroad were placed in a Dutch family through adoption. A year earlier, 210 children from abroad were adopted. A big drop that in any case is no surprise to emeritus professor of adoption René Hoksbergen.

In the daily newspaper Trouw, Hoksbergen explains why: because IVF treatments are increasingly successful and the chance of having their own child with prospective parents increases. Moreover, the adoption scandals from the 70s and 80s that have come out in recent years did not help either. A third reason is that things are going better with countries such as South Korea, India and China where many adopted children came from before.

Hoksbergen therefore advocates a further reduction of foreign adoptions. "The impact of an adoption is large and despite the fact that there are very good adoptive parents, you remove a child from a large part of his or her identity," he says in Trouw.

BRUSSELS and WASHINGTON, DC, March 21, 2019 — Arnold & Porter announced today that Dr. Alexander Italianer, former Secretary-General and Director-General for Competition of the European Commission, has joined the Firm as Senior International Policy Advisor in the Firm's Global Law and Public Policy practice. Dr. Italianer will be a consultant, resident in the Brussels office and provide strategic insight to clients on a range of global and European Union business issues including competition, international trade, foreign investment and regulatory issues.*

Dr. Italianer spent over 30 years at the European Commission eventually rising to the position of its top civil servant—Secretary-General under President Juncker. As Secretary-General, he provided policy advice to the President and his Vice-Presidents, organized the coordination of economic policies among member states, promoted improved regulation, devised the structure for Brexit preparedness, and supervised preparations for the multiannual EU budgetary framework proposals through 2027. From 2010-2015, Dr. Italianer served as Director-General for Competition, handling key antitrust, merger, and state aid cases across all critical economic sectors.

During his distinguished career at the European Commission, Dr. Italianer touched many other key issues. He assisted in the negotiation of the Maastricht Treaty, one of the most significant agreements in the EU's history, and, from his post in the Private Office of then President Santer, oversaw the introduction of the euro, and relations with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Italianer later served as Head of the Private Office of Enlargement Commissioner Günter Verheugen and as Director for International Economic and Financial Affairs before joining the Private Office of then President Barroso as Deputy Head, responsible for overall strategic planning and institutional and interinstitutional issues. In 2006, Italianer was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the European Commission, responsible for Better Regulation, Programming and Coordination. In this role, he was closely involved in regulatory cooperation with US authorities.

Arnold & Porter's Bill Baer, former US Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, said: "During a critical time in Europe, where Brexit, trade, foreign investment and competition are front and center, Alexander brings extraordinary insight into the key issues facing today's global economy and an unparalleled knowledge of the workings of the European Commission. I have worked closely with him over the years and I know our clients facing business challenges in Europe will greatly benefit from his experience. We proudly welcome him to our team."

Added Dr. Italianer: "I am delighted to affiliate with Arnold & Porter. Over the years, initially through working with former competition enforcers Bill Baer and Luc Gyselen, I have come to admire the firm's consistent quality and its effective advocacy on behalf of private and public clients. I look forward to joining their Global Law and Public Policy team."

The man said that he was transporting the embryo to a fertility clinic in the city and that he was doing this for the seventh or eighth time

Mumbai—A Malaysian national has been detained at the Mumbai International Airport after it was discovered that he was carrying live human embryos inside a canister. Authorities found the canister to be suspicious-looking. The man said that he was transporting the embryo to a fertility clinic in the city.

Indian officials said that they apprehended Partheban Durai on March 16. The Malaysian acknowledged that it was not the first time he had illegally brought in this type of material into India. He told authorities it may actually be his seventh or eighth time.

The man named the clinic where he is supposed to be bringing the human embryos—Indo Nippon IVF clinic in Bandra—and led the authorities there.

Legal representatives for Dr Goral Gandhi, the clinic’s scientific and laboratory director, denied the Malaysian’s accusations. They allege that Dr Gandhi is the victim of a set-up.

Today, Lumos and the British Embassy in Panama brought together global and regional child protection experts to discuss strategies to tackle the institutionalisation of children across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It comes as Lumos, the international children’s rights organisation founded by J.K. Rowling, expands its work within the LAC region, where an estimated 240,000 children continue to live in institutional care. [1].

Hosted in partnership with the British Ambassador to Panama, His Excellency Damion Potter, the event highlighted emerging good practice across the region, and outlined what steps must be taken to transform care for the most vulnerable children.Speakers and panellists in attendance included youth advocates, academics, civil society representatives and delegates from regional and global child rights agencies.

Georgette Mulheir, CEO of Lumos, said:

“Institutional care puts children at an increased risk of violence, abuse and neglect. However, examples from around world show that reform is possible, cost-effective and delivers better outcomes for children, even in the most challenging of circumstances.

We are delighted to welcome today’s esteemed group of experts and advocates to share progress, strengthen ties, and consider how we can collectively build upon recent successes in transforming care across the region.”

Growing up in the Netherlands, Linde Welberg knew she had the most loving parents a child could ask for. Yet she had always felt something was missing from her life.

Long before her father and mother told her she was adopted, she instinctively knew it.

“I felt a part of me was missing,” she says.

On the other side of the Atlantic, in the US city of Philadelphia, Lianna Fogg was going through similar turmoil. “I shared the same dream of every adoptee,” says Fogg. “Not just to find my birth parents, but to be accepted by them.”

The two young women have never met, but share a common experience. Put up for adoption as a consequence of China’s now-abandoned one-child policy, both have lived lives far removed from the circumstances of their birth.