The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has launched investigations into an organized gang involved in selling Sri Lankan infants to foreigners for adoption, it was reported.

According to Lankadeepa, the CID informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate Prasanna Alwis in this regard yesterday (Nov 23). 

Presenting facts to the court, the CID revealed that the organized criminals were carrying out this large-scale infant trafficking racket from Kandy and a probe has been launched in this regard.

The CID further said that it had received a complaint on the human trafficking racket from a Norwegian citizen of Sri Lankan origin.

Considering the facts, the Colombo Chief Magistrate ordered the CID to immediately conduct an investigation, apprehend the suspects involved in the racket and produce them in court.

BHUBANESWAR: A year after the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act was amended to make adoption of orphaned and abandoned children simpler, Odisha has witnessed a significant rise in such children finding parental care, both within and outside the state.

As per reports of the Women and Child Development (WCD) department, 188  orphaned/ abandoned/ surrendered children have found adoptive homes in the year 2022-23. And from January to October this year, an additional 130 children have been adopted through the department’s specialised adoption agencies (SAAs).

As per the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) data, 150 (65 boys and 85 girls) children of Odisha were adopted within the country from April, 2021 to March, 2022.  The number was 28 (10 boys and 18 girls) in case of inter-country adoptions from the state. There are 33 SAAs under the department in 28 districts through which children are adopted. Although the Act mandates that adoption cases should be disposed of within two months of filing of the application, usually the adoption process takes a minimum of three years.

In September last year, the Centre amended the  Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act thereby transferring the power of authorising adoptions from judiciary to district collectors, making the process less time-consuming and hassle-free. Earlier, after completion of all the formalities, the adoptive parent/s were required to approach the family or civil courts to get the final approval which made it a lengthy process.

Officials of the department said as per the adoption trends of the state, children in the age group of 0 to 2 years are the most preferred for adoption. “During this month which is observed as the adoption awareness month, our objective has been to promote adoption of older children, especially in the age group between 6 and 18 years and familiarise the adoption process as well as promotion of legal adoption,” said WCD Minister Basanti Hembram.

An inquiry, into a petition sent to the Chief Minister’s cell, held in Tiruchi revealed that a two-year-old boy from Sivakasi had been given for illegal adoption to a childless couple in Tiruchi.

Sivakasi East police have registered a case against the biological parents in Sivakasi and the adopted parents in Tiruchi along with few others for cheating, forgery and under the provisions of Adoption Act and Juvenile Justice and Care Act.

The police said that the biological parents had two sons aged 3 and 2. In the meantime, the woman had deserted the husband over a quarrel and was living separately.

Since the father could not raise both the sons single-handedly, the man, who was running a matrimonial office in Tiruchi, came across the issueless couple in Tiruchi. Subsequently, the second son was handed over to the Tiruchi couple. A police officer claimed that no evidence for monetary transaction for “selling” the baby has been found so far.

The adopted parents had attempted to get a birth certificate for the boy with fake documents that they were the biological parents of the boy.

Research into twelve adoptions from Ethiopia shows that several children were not given up voluntarily. Minister of Welfare Crevits also calls on adoptees from other countries and their families to come forward if they suspect that their adoption file is incorrect.

Parenting is always challenging, but for adopted people becoming a mum or dad can be extra demanding, as well as extra special—according to research from the University of East Anglia.

A new study is the first to investigate the lived experiences of adopted people in the UK as they become parents. "How do adopted adults see the significance of adoption and being a parent in their life stories? A narrative analysis of 40 life story interviews with male and female adoptees" is published in the journal Children and Youth Services Review.

It finds that they are affected by issues that link back to their adoption and to difficult experiences in their past—related to loss, rejection, abuse and neglect.

Because of these difficult early experiences, many adoptees experience significant challenges, particularly as teenagers and young adults.

These included mental health problems, emotional and behavioral difficulties, education and employment, relationship problems, and substance misuse.

The Kerala High Court has reiterated that there ought to be an express or implied trust of property or entrustment for any specific purpose in order to attract the liability for criminal breach of trust as provided under Section 406 IPC.

Justice P. Somarajan explained that the mere existence of a commercial transaction and deposit of amount with any person or institution would not attract criminal breach of trust as defined under Section 405 IPC

"A deposit of amount with a person, if it is intended for keeping the same without the liability of interest or any premium payable on that account would attract the criminal liability under Section 406 IPC, if it was dishonestly misappropriated, converted or dispossessed in violation of any direction prescribing the mode of its user or any legal contract. On the contrary, when the deposit is for the purpose of incurring interest, failure to return the amount as agreed would not canvass the criminal liability under Section 406 IPC, unless it constitutes entrustment of the said amount or any dominion over the property for any specific purpose either express or implied or to utilise the periodical interest for any such specific purpose, either express or implied. In short, a mere deposit of amount with any banker, financial institution or any person, if it is for getting interest, unless satisfies the abovesaid cardinal ingredients, cannot be brought under the purview of criminal breach of trust as defined under Section 405 IPC and no criminal liability can be fastened for the offence punishable under Section 406 IPC," the Bench observed

The prosecution case is that the revision petitioner, who is the 1st accused person in the case, along with other accused were conducting a partnership business, namely M/S Rajappan Achary, and accepted fixed deposit from various persons. It is alleged that the accused persons thereafter misappropriated the amount for their own use. 

The complainant, who was one of the victims of such alleged misappropriation, claimed that although he was paid a certain amount as interest, the principal amount and the interest accrued thereafter had not been paid as agreed.

The courts below held the revision petitioner guilty of the offence under Section 406 IPC. 

In the present revision petitioner, the Court was thus faced with the question as to whether criminal liability could be extended under Section 406 IPC when there is neither express nor implied trust and whether both the courts below were justified in convicting the accused for the said offence without satisfying the existence of either express or implied trust

"For me, the welfare of the girl is paramount. I am scared to send her away. How can I ensure her welfare there," Justice Devan Ramachandran asked. 

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday appointed Advocate Parvathy Menon as amicus curiae to assist the court in the petition filed by a couple seeking permission to return their adopted child and annul the adoption.

The couple adopted the child (now she turned 18 years old) based on the order issued by the Guardian Judge, Ludhiana, Punjab, but they wanted to annul the adoption alleging that she was unable to integrate with the family.

When the petition came up for hearing Justice Devan Ramachandran said that the contents of the report of the Secretary, District Legal Service Authority, Thiruvananthapuram, who interacted with the child, are distressing, particularly as to the plight of the young woman.

It stated that the girl, who recently turned 18 years old, expressed an intense desire to return to her parental state in Ludhiana, Punjab. This may be because she feels forlorn and virtually destitute in Kerala being 'abandoned' by her adoptive parents.

It will be a "huge disclaimer" if Norway stops adoptions from abroad, several adoptive families believe.

The short version

• Adoptive families believe it will be a "huge disclaimer" if Norway stops adoptions from abroad
• Five families also criticize VG's adoption coverage for being one-sided.
• Sissel Kruse Larsen, who has adopted a daughter from Peru, believes that a temporary halt to adoptions to Norway will have major consequences for children.

- From one day to the next, families have their lives turned around by the Norwegian authorities, says Øyvind Bakke Reier to VG.

Important and interesting debate at the Chamber of Deputies in the conference organized by Ai.Bi. and Academy Spadolini: “From the serious crisis of international adoptions to a Mattei Plan for the adoption and foster care of African children”. A very first step to start a dialogue with African countries in the interests of reciprocity, development, communities and cooperation

Institutional greetings, leading personalities and, above all, an interesting debate characterized the conference " From the serious crisis of international adoptions to a Mattei Plan for the adoption and foster care of African children ", held on the afternoon of Tuesday 21 November at the Sala del Cenacolo of the Chamber of Deputies.
At the center of the interventions, the plan to relaunch International Adoption and strengthen International Fostering and Long Distance Adoption in the context of the Mattei Plan for Africa that the current Government is formulating.

Adoption as the only possibility to become children again

The event opened with a greeting from the Hon. Lamberto Dini who, illustrating the reasons and purposes of the Mattei Plan, specified how "The investments that will be promoted cannot only be of an economic and strategic nature, but also humanitarian". In this sense, a Mattei Plan for the Adoption and Fostering of African children can perform a fundamental function of "support to help these countries to help those children who are in disadvantaged conditions of subsistence and abandonment".
Immediately afterwards, the Hon. Simonetta Matone reported her long experience with adoptions as a judge of minors, hoping that the Mattei Plan can "put a firm point" to find new ways that allow both "couples' desires for parenthood" and the “children's needs”.

MOUNTAIN BROOK, Ala. —

While the holidays can be a joyous time for families, it can be difficult for those struggling with infertility. If that's you, a Mountain Brook couple wants to offer up hope.

Rodney and Mary Leah Miller will be celebrating their first Thanksgiving since adopting twins. But this is no typical adoption because Mary Leah actually gave birth to the babies.
And now they want everyone to understand how embryo adoption works.

Dad, Rodney said, “They're just so fun. They just bring so much joy to our household, to our family.”

The Millers appreciate every giggle, every tear and every dirty diaper. After 10 years of struggling with infertility, they are now a family of four. Over the years, they tried every imaginable treatment, but nothing worked. Then, they heard about embryo adoption.

“That was the first time in a long time we had hope that this was going to work out, that we were not only going to have a family and children, but Mary Leah would be able to experience a pregnancy like we were both very excited about that,” Rodney Miller said.