From 2012, the French Community of Belgium launched an adoption program with Congo. Risky bet in a country that has no census of its population and where corruption is endemic? No doubt, but solid guarantees were given. Belgian legislation among the most demanding in Europe, preparation missions which gave full satisfaction, a local partner, the non-profit organization "Tumaini", directed by a Belgian-Congolese lawyer (Julienne Mpemba) and chaired by an international reference in the world filiation (Géraldine Mathieu, University of Namur). The experience will prove catastrophic. As revealed in 2017 Het Laatste Nieuws, four children out of the last 12 to arrive in Belgium are said to be “stolen” from their families, and a fifth is said to have been promised to two families. For two years, the French Community was unable to take the measure of the debacle which was announced and supporting until the end the financial requests of Tumaini.

Médor investigated the case of Simon, a young Congolese promised to an American family and a Belgian family. It sheds a harsh light on Tumaini's practices.

Monday, October 5, 2015. Around 3 p.m. Somewhere in Hainaut. Sylvie Durant receives a call. This is the Belgian embassy in Kinshasa (DR Congo). Can she come the next day to Zaventem airport? At 5 a.m.? His son Simon arrives. Her interlocutor, the Ambassador in person, insists: she must not tell anyone. Not even the French Community.

Tuesday, October 6, 5 a.m., in Zaventem. Simon is snuggled up in the arms of an embassy employee. Sylvie and her companion Pierre take away the puny kid.

The same day, the administration of the French Community, informed late on of Simon's arrival, asks Sylvie and Pierre not to say anything. The next day, the office of socialist minister Rachid Madrane (in charge of adoption at the Wallonia-Brussels Federation), through the voice of his chief of staff Eric Mercenier, invites "a certain discretion". Why ? 11 adopted children are still at the orphanage and talking could “compromise the efforts undertaken by the Belgian authorities” to bring them back. There would however be things to “say”: on his arrival, Simon weighs 8 kilos at 2.5 years old. He was undernourished and risks lifelong sequelae.

2

3

Representative Image

Representative Image

MUMBAI: A single mother has moved the Bombay high court to challenge denial of a caste certificate to her adopted son by the collector's office.

SHARE

After her adopted son was denied a caste certificate, a single mother has moved the Bombay High Court. The mother, who is a resident of Borivali, Mumbai, challenged the state government’s decision, which upheld the patrilineal concept of castes being passed down from father to son.

The mother filed a petition through advocate Pradeep Havnur with the Bombay High Court demanding for her son to be recognised as a ‘Mahyavanshi’, which comes under the Scheduled Caste (SC). “There was no father’s name on his birth certificate, it just had his mother’s name. Today, my son is using my name as a middle and surname,” the petitioner told The Indian Express. “This caste certificate will give my son an identity. I had used this caste certificate for my education and I want the same benefits for my son through this caste certificate.”

ALSO READ: This Chinese mother single-handedly raised her disabled son; he is a Harvard graduate now

The mother had adopted her son, now 14 years old, in 2009. However, despite giving him her name, when she applied for a caste certificate for her son on the basis of her own caste certificate, it was rejected by the Deputy Collector’s office, Dharavi Division on September 3, 2016. She also appealed to the District Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Mumbai to no avail.

New Delhi, March 31

A girl, Matinda Gustafson, who was adopted at the age of seven from an orphanage in Delhi by a Swedish couple, has returned to India after 16 years to search for her real parents.

The Swedish couple that adopted Gustafson, instead of giving love and affection, tortured her due to which she started living in a foster home in Sweden.

Gustafson has faded memories of her orphanage days. Her warden had informed her about her adoption. She was happy when she was adopted assuming of going to have her own family.

Her foster parents used to send gifts to her initially but they changed soon after taking her to Sweden.

The man who is working for a private firm had approached Gangadhar to obtain a baby that he was keen to adopt.

The Cyberabad Police who had busted a child-trafficking racket under the guise of adoption, and had arrested seven members of the gang from whom they had rescued two female babies.

The Cyberabad Police who had busted a child-trafficking racket under the guise of adoption, and had arrested seven members of the gang from whom they had rescued two female babies.

Hyderabad: The Cyberabad Police who had busted a child-trafficking racket under the guise of adoption, and had arrested seven members of the gang from whom they had rescued two female babies, have now intensified their search for the third missing baby, which the suspects had sold.

The kingpin of the racket Gangadhar, had disclosed to the police that he had sold the baby to a person from Jagathgirigutta for more than `1lakh, but after reaching the said location, the man was not found there. Investigations revealed that Gangadhar who was earlier residing at Jagathgirigutta, had met the person to whom he had sold the baby. The man who is working for a private firm had approached Gangadhar to obtain a baby that he was keen to adopt.

Lack of awareness on legal adoption a boost for agents.

Lack of awareness on legal adoption a boost for agents.

Hyderabad: Despite strict guidelines to prevent illegal adoptions for curbing child trafficking, unlawful adoptions are still taking place without any hurdles. The adoptions which were once quite common in rural areas have now spread to the city.

Since January, three cases were reported from different parts of the city. In all the cases, the newborns were illegally procured from their biological parents by luring them with money. Police said that the childless couples who had adopted the kids were from well- to-do families and are literate when compared to the biological parents of the kids.

While investigating these cases, police said that lack of awareness on legal adoption methods by the agencies concerned is becoming a boon for the agents to exploit parents. “Even educated persons, who are aware of the consequences of illegal adoptions, resort to illegal means raising concern,” a senior official said.

.

Statement

Cambodia’s Stolen Children: Fraud and Corruption in the Inter-Country Adoption System

Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO)

Enlarge this picture

March 30, 2018 - Thousands of Cambodian children were adopted overseas between the late 1980s and 2009. During that time it emerged that many of the adopted children were not orphans but had parents who placed them in orphanages because of extreme poverty. Their parents placed them there on the understanding that they would return home at a later date. They did not consent to their children's adoption. Instead, orphanage directors, with the help of local authorities, created documents falsely stating that the children were orphans or had been abandoned.

The court said prima facie, the Mankhurd shelter home’s condition was not up to the mark.

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has suggested the state to develop a model plan for constant governance and supervision of shelter homes for children in the state. The division bench of Justice N.H. Patil and Justice G S Kulkarni has said that the government could also consult social entrepreneur Arunachalam Muuruganantham for supply of sanitary pads for girls staying in these homes.

The bench put forward these suggestions while hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by a city resident, Sangeeta Punekar, raising the issue of poor condition of a children’s shelter home in suburban Mankhurd. The court said prima facie, the Mankhurd shelter home’s condition was not up to the mark.

HYDERABAD: A day after a woman trafficking children was arrested and a 10-day-old baby girl was rescued by RGI Airport police, five more persons, including kingpin Gangadhar Reddy, were arrested by Cyberabad police on Wednesday. Another infant was also rescued.

Briefing the media, deputy commissioner of police (Shamshabad) PV Padmaja said based on the confession of arrested Manga, Gangadhar Reddy, C Srinivas, T Shirisha Reddy, Sharada, and K Lakshmi were arrested from different areas in the city. During interrogation of Gangadhar, police came to know that he was a repeat offender and he was arrested earlier by Madannapet, Gandhinagar and Chatrinaka police for trafficking infants.

The prime accused, who had previously worked in a few fertility centers, used to interact with women going for IVF and surrogacy procedures. After quitting his job, Gangadhar became an agent and used to sell infants to issueless couples by procuring new-borns from poor families or those having many children or tribals. Till now, Gangadhar reportedly dealt with 12 infants. He claimed in six cases the adoption process was legal. “Three infants were rescued by Hyderabad police in the past, while now RGI Airport police rescued two infants. We are making efforts to rescue the third infant too,’’ Padmaja said.

Police said other five culprits used to search for parents willing to sell their infants or prospective buyers. Efforts are on to trace parents of rescued infants, who would be handed over to them only after DNA profiling.

.