This is the 13th article in an adoption series. Some adoptees have echoed the previous article's question, "What is the real reason this country cannot protect its own children?" To elaborate on this inquiry requires that the series broach another question: Is this country incapable of offering such protection, or is it resisting efforts to do so and refusing to take responsibility? Shifting away from the individual experiences of adoptees and beginning to address the state's accountability is an important step in moving forward to rectify the "right of origin" for adoptees. ? ED.

By Lee Kyung-eun

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If, as the dominant narrative claims, transnational adoption is about rescuing war orphans, then the surge in inter-country adoption in the 1960s unravels such assertions. So let us drop the pretext of war orphans as an impetus. What about "economic" or "social" orphans? Then we must ask how poor is poor enough to warrant casting children from their own country on a massive scale with such persistence.

As this series explored earlier, the immigration laws of the receiving countries spurred the trend of adopting foreign babies by employing an array of weak regulations that facilitated inter-country adoptions. Concurrently, Korea (later followed by other sending countries) responded by initiating corresponding measures to move children abroad.

Pope Francis has released a video with an encouraging message for pregnant mothers that also asks Catholics to be open to life through adoption.

“I want to say to every woman expecting a child: You are God’s awesome instrument to welcome and offer new life to the world,” Pope Francis said in the video issued on Aug. 25.

“Every child that arrives is God’s gift. Every baby, in every case, and in whatever situation is to be welcomed,” the Pope said.

Pope Francis said that to adopt and give someone a family is an act of love by which a man and a woman become mediators of God’s love.

“Adoption is a Christian choice,” the Pope said.

Save the Children is deeply concerned about the safety of children from children’s homes and children who have lost their parents in the recent earthquake in Haiti, as they are at risk of neglect, different forms of abuse, or even trafficking.

An estimated 30 percent of 48 children’s homes in the south of Haiti that care for about 1,700 children were damaged by the earthquake on Aug 14, according to reports, forcing children onto the streets and sleeping outside. Some children are now being cared for by foster families.

The 7.2 magnitude earthquake claimed around 2,200 lives with thousands more injured, and an unknown number of children likely losing their parents. In crises like these, unaccompanied children face a higher risk of abuse and neglect, Save the Children warned.

Fabienne*, 24, lives in one of the children’s homes where she helps to care for other children. She goes to a nursing school and was inside the building when the earthquake happened:

“Because of the earthquake, we cannot go inside. We are sleeping outside, and looking at the house with no possibility to enter again. And also school has stopped, this is shocking.

Madurai: Timely intervention by an unknown caller and the Madurai city police resulted in an illegally adopted newborn baby

girl being returned to her mother in less than three hours on Friday. No case was registered but the mother, her aunt and

couple to whom the child was given were let off with a warning after the district child welfare committee (CWC) obtained a

statement in writing from them.

CWC member B Pandiaraja told TOI that the baby’s mother, 30, from Paravai was married to a man nearly twice her age 10

This is the 12th article in an adoption series. So far, this series has covered the right to origin of adoptees from Korea. The second phase of the series will discuss the historical development of the politics surrounding inter-country adoption with an aim to move beyond those sad stories of the past often depicted in the media. Instead, the next set of articles will illustrate how the system of inter-country adoption that led to such stories remains to this day and continues to govern the politics of adoption.

By Lee Kyung-eun

History is the sum of the choices that we, as a nation, have made thus far.

This graph shows the number of children who were born in this country but left shortly after birth (more than 90 percent were under the age of one) to become the sons and daughters of families in Western countries. Each dot on the graph represents human beings cast out of the protection of this nation.

While more than 80 countries throughout the world have sent their children overseas for adoption, Korea's experience remains noteworthy. It began as the birthplace of inter-country "orphan" adoption in 1953 and has persisted in engaging in the practice. This nearly seven-decade-long history of exporting children is not found anywhere else in the world and has led people both inside and outside the country to ask, "Why can't this country stop this practice despite its economic achievements and progress?"

These panels formed to prevent crimes against children

V. Ramaraj, Member of Tamil Nadu Commission for Child Rights, said the State government should provide legal status to child protection committees formed at various levels.

Mr. Ramaraj along with Prison Superintendent Senthil Kumar and other senior officials inspected the Salem Central Prison and Women’s Prison on Friday to assess whether any children of convicts are in the prison and whether they are provided with facilities. Mr. Ramaraj also interacted with a few inmates.

He told presspersons the State government through a Government Order had formed child protection committees at six levels including Block, Village and Corporation to prevent crimes against children. These committees should be given legal status and the Commission would recommend it to the government.

Mr. Ramaraj said the government was also looking at strengthening the child protection offices.

Chinees adoptiemeisje vindt ouders terug

26 januari 2007, 09:28

HILVERSUM - Het KRO-programma Spoorloos heeft een zeer opvallend succes geboekt in het achterhalen van de biologische ouders van een uit China geadopteerd meisje.In de uitzending van komende maandag is te zien dat de biologische ouders van de 10-jarige Eline uit Noord-Holland worden achterhaald in de stad Chongqing.

Een daadwerkelijke hereniging tussen Eline en haar biologische ouders in China is er overigens nog niet geweest, aldus Paul Vertegaal, eindredacteur van Spoorloos. Volgens hem willen de Nederlandse adoptieouders dat Eline eerst rustig het nieuws op zich laat inwerken. In een later stadium kan er dan een ontmoeting komen.

Het succesvol achterhalen van de biologische ouders van Chinese adoptiekinderen is uiterst zeldzaam. In Nederland, waar ongeveer 5000 uit China geadopteerde kinderen wonen, is zover bekend een dergelijke succesvolle zoektocht nog niet eerder gemeld. Internationaal is er op internetforums wel eerder gemeld dat adoptiekinderen uit China in contact zouden zijn gebracht met hun biologische ouders, maar zonder harde bewijzen daarvoor te leveren.

After our Dracula interlude, our tour continues towards Bucharest. But you don't just get there. Then you first have to cross a mountain. The Fagaras. If I'm right, that's part of the Carpathians. There is a short way and a nice way. That choice is not difficult. It will be the beautiful.

And this is not just any pretty road. Connoisseurs have proclaimed it the most beautiful road in Europe. Of course we won't let that pass us by.

This road - the Transfagarasan, 90 km long, and labeled "the road to the clouds" - was once built on the initiative of Nicolas Ceausescu, the communist ruler. The last communist leader before the populace fought themselves free and stormed his palace in a revolutionary uproar and summarily killed him, in December 1989.

Many stories circulate about Ceausescu. For example, about how he came to power. A power struggle had broken out at the top of the communist party in Romania. A few strong leaders held each other tight, preventing the battle from coming to an end.

In the end, Ceaucescu was put forward as a compromise candidate and accepted by all the belligerents, because he had no education, and everyone was convinced that he was too stupid to become dangerous to anyone.

Beneficial, benevolent and progressive as the amendments to the Juvenile Justice Act may seem to be, they are myopic and do not seem to be in tandem with parallel family law legislations

Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have approved the 2021 amendments to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act), which allows district magistrates to issue adoption orders instead of civil courts. Amending provisions of the JJ Act to recognise executive magistrates as a competent authority authorised to issue adoption orders will allow speedier adoption of children.

Beneficial, benevolent and progressive as the proposals may be, they are myopic and do not seem to be in tandem with parallel family law legislations. The cited reasonings — delay in civil courts and adoption processes being non-contested litigations — ignore the “interest and welfare of child” principle. The purpose defeats the ends. Further, it may create statutory conflicts with contradictory and inconsistent interpretations in issues relating to marriage, adoption and guardianship. The wholesome solution then may be to not amend the act or incorporate similar amendments in other existing laws.

Adoption of children under the JJ Act, which is outside the scope of the provisions of the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956 (HAMA), is guided by Sections 56 and 57 of the JJ Act, wherein irrespective of religion, orphan, abandoned and surrendered children can be made wards of single or divorced persons as per procedure laid down under the Adoption Regulations, 2017. The process entails a robust and protective mechanism routed through the Central Adoption Resource Authority (Cara). Ultimately, under the JJ Act, all Cara approved adoptions require an adoption order from a court, which under the JJ Act “means a civil court, which has jurisdiction in matters of adoption and guardianship, and may include the district court, family court and city civil courts.” Section 61 of the JJ Act mandates that before issuing an adoption order approved by Cara, the court shall satisfy that the adoption is for the welfare of the child, as per the wishes of the child and without consideration, payment or reward for the adoption.

Interpretation of “court”

Former Lib Dem MP Mike Hancock apologises over inappropriate conduct

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MP for Portsmouth South issued apology as part of settlement in which he admitted making constituent feel degraded

Former Lib Dem MP Mike Hancock faces standards hearing

Mike Hancock resigned the party whip in June to fight a court civil action by a constituent. Photograph: Chris Ison/PA