The third episode of journalist Igor Traboni's investigation on the magazine Orwell.it is dedicated to national adoptions

“Italy is not a country for adoptive families ”. Thus begins the third episode of journalist Igor Traboni's investigation into the world of adoption for Orwell.it. An episode which, unlike the previous two , in which the topic of international adoption was explored, focuses on national adoptions.

“For every potentially adoptable Italian child – explains Traboni – there are around 10 copies available to do so. Yet, every year, there are fewer adoption decisions." Furthermore, the journalist continues, “Italy (...) in 1998 ratified the Hague Convention, an almost global point of reference for the protection of minors and international cooperation. Yet Italian children cannot be adopted by a foreign couple! And here it borders on the absurd, because: either you are part of certain rules and, therefore, you apply them all, or you are in breach of these”.

Traboni interviewed the president of Ai.Bi on this topic. – Friends of Children, Marco Griffini . Who explained: “Let's say straight away that, as authorized bodies, we have no jurisdiction over national adoptions, the matter of which falls under the jurisdiction of the juvenile courts. However, there is this problem of Italian children who, in fact, cannot be adopted by citizens of other nations. It has happened to us several times that from abroad, for example by Italian-American couples, we are asked to be able to adopt in Italy, but... it's not possible. Like Ai.Bi. we have been carrying on this battle for many years, but our requests have always been rejected by the CAI, the Adoption Commission, with the reasoning that, in practice, until there is a database of national adoptions, it is not possible to apply the principle of reciprocity".

How important is the committee of inquiry into adoption fraud?

The investigation committee into adoption fraud starts today. Eva Langenus and Sandra Sebrechts are both victims of adoption fraud. They testify with us.

Dutch:

Vandaag start de onderzoekscommissie naar adoptiefraude. Eva Langenus en Sandra Sebrechts zijn allebei slachtoffer van adoptiefraude. Zij getuigen bij ons.

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Child abuse in German day-care centers

The training should help to reduce aggression of children. Original Play is the business model of a dubious, internationally active club. While parents do not know what's going on in the day care center, strangers may "play" with their children. Parents in Berlin and Hamburg reported cases of abuse and even rape.

Anmoderation 1: A child plays with an adult man ...

It is kabbbelt, caressed, pressed. But the two are not related, they may not know each other at all. It is an organized meeting place, in children's institutions with us and worldwide - and often: Without the knowledge of the parents.

Anmoderation 2: Original Play - that's the name of the original game. If you pay a course fee, you can just go straight to the kids. Together with the ORF we show for the first time and exclusively how dangerous it is easy for pedophiles to get to children. Gabi Probst.

The young woman from the Allgäu did not know her biological mother before. Now she has visited her in Romania.

Roberta, 23:

I was adopted from an orphanage in Romania. I was two years and three months old then, now I'm 23 and have finished my training as a physiotherapist. My parents told me that the home was very poor. Later they adopted another little boy, who is my brother to me.

I have often intended to search for the woman who gave birth to me and gave me away. Especially during puberty I sometimes felt a little strange, not belonging. And then one day, that was in 2016, I just did it. I wanted to close the issue for myself. I had her name and about her age. When I saw a woman on Facebook, I knew immediately: This is her. We look alike. I thought it was pretty cool that there are still people who look a lot like me. I never had anyone who looked like me.

I skyped with her. She was pretty nervous, I just a little bit. Then we planned my trip to Romania, we had discussed that my parents would come with me. They support me a lot in every way.

The young woman from the Allgäu did not know her biological mother before. Now she has visited her in Romania.

Roberta, 23:

I was adopted from an orphanage in Romania. I was two years and three months old then, now I'm 23 and have finished my training as a physiotherapist. My parents told me that the home was very poor. Later they adopted another little boy, who is my brother to me.

I have often intended to search for the woman who gave birth to me and gave me away. Especially during puberty I sometimes felt a little strange, not belonging. And then one day, that was in 2016, I just did it. I wanted to close the issue for myself. I had her name and about her age. When I saw a woman on Facebook, I knew immediately: This is her. We look alike. I thought it was pretty cool that there are still people who look a lot like me. I've never had anyone who looked like me.

I skyped with her. She was pretty nervous, I just a little bit. Then we planned my trip to Romania, we had discussed that my parents would come with me. They support me a lot in every way.

The young Allgäu native did not know her biological mother until now. Now she has visited them in Romania.

Roberta, 23:

I was adopted from an orphanage in Romania. I was two years and three months old then, today I'm 23 and have finished my training as a physiotherapist. My parents told me that the home was very poor. Later they adopted a little boy, who is my brother to me.

I've often wanted to look for the woman who gave birth to me and gave me away. Especially during puberty, I sometimes felt a little strange and didn't belong. And then one day, in 2016, I just did it. I wanted to cross the topic for myself. I had her name and roughly her age. When I saw a woman on Facebook, I knew immediately: That was her. We look alike. I thought it was pretty cool that there are still people who look almost like me. I've never had anyone who looked like me.

I skyped with her. She was pretty nervous, I was just a little bit nervous. Then we planned my trip to Romania, we had discussed that my parents would come with me. They support me a lot in every way.

Adoption fraud victims denounce investigation: "Only white men and women in panel"

THE NEWSPAPER A large-scale investigation into adoption fraud in Flanders will start at the end of this week. However, even before the expert panel meets for the first time, problems arise. The victims find the panel anything but independent and feel they have passed. "People are trying to push us aside."

At the end of April, 17-year-old Thereza De Wannemaeker from Denderleeuw testified in this newspaper about the fraud that occurred during her adoption from Ethiopia. Following her testimony, other Ethiopian adoptive children and their parents also abandoned anonymity stories of fraud. They gave poignant examples of biological parents who were wrongly declared dead, children who were pressured to lie about their age, and boys and girls who were wrongly presented as siblings.

In response to the flow of stories, MEP Lorin Parys (N-VA) urged then Minister of Welfare Jo Vandeurzen (CD&V) to put together an expert panel that could conduct an independent investigation into all possible cases of intercountry adoption fraud in Flanders. In the new coalition agreement, that plan was ratified and almost 60,000 euros were made available for it. This Friday the time has finally come: the panel will meet for the first time and the investigation will officially start

Strange things

Victims fraud angry about composition of expert panel

The investigation into adoption fraud with which the Flemish government is starting this week is already under attack. Victims complain that they were not involved in the composition of the expert panel, while that was promised. They fear a sham.

On Friday, the starting shot will be given for a large-scale investigation into intercountry adoption fraud. This was ordered just before the elections by the then Flemish Minister for Welfare Jo Vandeurzen (CD&V), after this newspaper had brought testimony about tampering in Ethiopian adoption files. Flanders wants to check whether mistakes have been made in recent decades and how they can be avoided in the future. It was promised that victims of the fraud and other adopted persons would play an important role in this.

However, it now appears that last summer an expert panel was put together in all silence, in which no experienced expert sits. "You are trying to push us aside", 23 adopted people reacted angrily in a letter to current welfare minister Wouter Beke (CD&V). "Moreover, we note that the Flemish Center for Adoption will play a leading role in research. That is extremely problematic. ”The VCA may have made mistakes in recent years and should therefore be kept very far from the investigation, according to the signatories. Minister Beke says he "appreciates" the letter and thinks it is a good idea to include experience experts in the expert panel. He emphasizes that the research will indeed be conducted independently and that the SCC has a purely supporting function.

Dutch:

Building Bridges

“Building Bridges between Belgium & India for Adoptees - A final call”

Lieve mensen, Het heeft me wat tijd gekost om na de terugkeer deze tekst te kunnen schrijven. Zoveel indrukken en emoties, het doet een mens toch wel wat. Het was voor mij de tweede keer dat ik India bezocht. Deze keer met een doel dat ook meer was dan reizen en verkennen. Het project “Building Bridges” ligt me na aan het hart, natuurlijk in de eerste plaats door mijn persoonlijk verhaal. Maar zeker ook door de ervaring van de laatste 2 jaar dat mijn verhaal met zovele anderen gedeeld wordt en ook deze anderen op muren botsen als ze naar hun roots op zoek gaan. Ik was dan ook erg blij dat Pia, onze adoptiecoach haar schouders met hart en ziel onder dit project heeft gezet, waarvoor mijn dank.

Ik hoop dat mijn verhaal kan helpen bij jullie eigen zoektocht, op welke manier dan ook: praktische tips, modelbrieven, persoonlijke ervaring,.. Door de meetings in Mumbai is alvast een eerste steen gelegd. Er is al een goed bewustzijn, beleid en methodiek om geadopteerden te helpen bij hun zoektocht. Veel hangt af van de adoptiediensten. Mijn persoonlijke zoektocht leverden enkele belangrijke antwoorden op, maar er zijn minstens evenveel vraagtegens bijgekomen. Stap voor stap komen we toch dichter bij ons doel: de weg is iets meer geopend, ook al is die nog zeer lang.

Ik schrijf mijn verhaal in dagboekstijl. Voor de formele en praktische elementen verwijs ik naar de bijlagen. Er volgt in de nabije toekomst een officieel rapport dat aan betrokken diensten en overheden zal worden bezorgd. Ik benadruk dat dit mijn persoonlijk verhaal rond deze reis. Voor iedereen zal dit anders zijn.

Cologne -

It was the desire of the couple from the Cologne area to adopt a child. In Thailand, they found happiness in a home, as they thought. With support from the Provincial Youth Office, the couple returned with a 5-year-old girl back to Germany. After only about two weeks, the couple refrained from adopting again. And did not expect the follow-up costs.

The authorities presented the Cologne namely a hefty bill. From now on, they should pay for the placement of the child in Germany. At 100 euros per day, the costs amount, the amount must be paid for a period of six years. The result is a total of 219,000 euros. The couple filed a lawsuit against the district court.

The plaintiffs had stated that because of the child's eye-catching behavior, they were unable to continue with their adoption. The youth welfare office had deceived them in the mediation, concealed the mental problems of the child. They also assumed that they would have to pay a maximum of six months for further child-care.

Cologne: Child was already behaving in Thailand