Spanish couple abandon adopted Indian child, Bhopal agency under the scanner

SANYA DHINGRA 22 August, 2018

Shelter home allegedly misled parents on age of children; Italian couple also writes to Indian authorities against agency.

New Delhi: A Spanish couple has reportedly abandoned a girl they adopted from an agency in Madhya Pradesh after they were allegedly deceived about her age, the latest in a spate of controversies plaguing shelter homes across the country.

The case is the second such instance involving Udaan, a Bhopal-based Special Adoption Agency (SAA), which has also been accused by an Italian couple of providing them with “misleading” health and age information about a girl they had adopted.

A case of 2 lakh ‘missing’ children

Disparity in survey data submitted in SC

Discrepancies in two government-commissioned surveys, both a year apart, submitted in the Supreme Court show that over two lakh children, said to be residing in childcare homes, are “missing.”

A 2016-17 survey, commissioned by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, shows that 4.73 lakh children reside in care homes nationwide. However, the number of children in care homes came down to 2.61 lakh in the data submitted by the Centre before the Supreme Court in March 2018. The data were gathered by the Centre from the States.

‘Very disturbing’

A case of 2 lakh ‘missing’ children

Disparity in survey data submitted in SC

Discrepancies in two government-commissioned surveys, both a year apart, submitted in the Supreme Court show that over two lakh children, said to be residing in childcare homes, are “missing.”

A 2016-17 survey, commissioned by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, shows that 4.73 lakh children reside in care homes nationwide. However, the number of children in care homes came down to 2.61 lakh in the data submitted by the Centre before the Supreme Court in March 2018. The data were gathered by the Centre from the States.

‘Very disturbing’

TISS which had conducted the social audit had found that sexual abuse of varying forms was prevalent in almost all shelter homes in Bihar.

Malala and Ziauddin Yousafzai founded Malala Fund in 2013 to champion every girl's right to 12 years of free, safe, quality education. (Photo: File | AP)

Malala and Ziauddin Yousafzai founded Malala Fund in 2013 to champion every girl's right to 12 years of free, safe, quality education. (Photo: File | AP)

New Delhi: The Malala Fund on Wednesday said it is suspending its grants to Sakhi and Nari Gunjan, two organisations named in the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' (TISS) social audit report of short stay homes across Bihar with immediate effect.

TISS which had conducted the social audit had found that sexual abuse of varying forms and degree of intensity was prevalent in almost all shelter homes in Bihar.

Shelter home,Infants,Jharkhand

The administration has set up a medical team to investigate into exact cause of the death. (Representative photo)

Two infants, including a six-month-old girl rescued by the Ranchi child welfare committee (CWC) from a Missionaries of Charity-run shelter home in wake of an alleged baby selling incident, died at government-aided Sahyog Village shelter home in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, officials said on Monday.

The Khunti CWC identified the six-month-old as Palo Tuti. The other four-month-old baby’s identity is yet to be ascertained, as she was reportedly left by an unwed mother at Sahyog village.

Khunti deputy development commissioner (DDC) CK Mandal said: “Both the babies were ill and we admitted them to a hospital couple of days back. But, they could not survive and died on Sunday. Hospital authorities said that they died due to prolonged illness.”

China child trafficking

A young couple from eastern China’s Hubei province, who sold their baby girl online for ?65,000, has brought the country’s child trafficking battle to the forefront again. The case further highlights a rejection to the country’s latest push for its people to bare more children.

The accused, 19-year-old Gao and his partner, 20-year-old Zhang, sold their baby girl, through an agent, Zhu, from Hunan province, who they had contacted online. After finding a buyer for the child, Zhu pocketed ?20,000 as his fee. Information regarding the case came from a Xishui police report released via Weibo (Chinese Twitter).

South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports the couple were under financial pressure, as they already had a 1-year-old son to take care of and could not afford another. Gao, a takeaway delivery driver, and his partner Zhang, together with agent Zhu have all been detained and are awaiting trial. No report has been released that states whether the buyer of the child had been contacted.

As stated by SCMP, authoritative measures see to it first as to whether the child, who has been sold, has other relatives who are willing to take care of the infant. If in the event there is no family or the family refuse, then the next step is usually adoption.

Caroline Boudreaux at an orphanage.

Caroline Boudreaux at an orphanage.

We’ve all been at that precipice where disillusionment settles like an unshakeable cloak over the psyche. Ordinary tasks become gargantuan mountains to climb. And hope seems illusive. Yet, there are some that have the gumption to extricate themselves from all self doubt, and see the nadir as a point where they can rise up from, and make something beautiful out of. It’s responsible living, and Caroline Boudreaux, founder of the Miracle Foundation and the winner of the United Nations Humanitarian Award 2017 is a proponent of such change. Among the fortunate few who found her life’s calling at the height of professional success — a handsomely paying job, where Caroline found herself discontented, unfulfilled and looking for meaning. A visit to India, a hapless child she met at Odisha and the decrepit state of Indian orphanages and parentless children shocked her, and Caroline started Miracle Foundation. “The day was auspicious — it was Mother’s Day. I decided I had to do something to help children. I simply could not go on with my life as if they didn’t exist. I couldn’t un-see what I had seen. The idea for the Miracle Foundation was born that day. Every child, every miracle deserves the foundation of a family.

Since then — miraculously — people of all ages, all walks of life, and all socio-economic backgrounds have joined us. Together, we’re giving a loving family and personalised care to thousands of orphaned children,” enthuses Boudreaux. The warmth in her demeanour as she mingles with children, goes about her day’s work is apparent, and the conviction that children are the future is what eggs this kindhearted soul who was categorised among the most impactful non-profit leaders in the US and India. Of the moniker, she enthuses, “We’re categorised as one of the most impactful non-profits as we have a proven methodology that works. We show donors that their investments are going into the minds, mouths and stomachs of the children we serve, and our earnest work has paid off. Bill Gates said it best, ‘All lives, no matter where lived, are of equal value.’ Miracle Foundation isn’t working in India because India has a bigger problem. It works in India because this is where we started. All children deserve the love of a family. We’re working with organisations all over the world to make sure children have a family, not an orphanage and not a state to look after them. They need families, no matter where they live. My favourite change about India is her youth. They get it. They know and want to change the plight of the poor.”

Interacting with children

BATHINDA: Two baby girls residing at Sri Anant Ashram Nathan ..

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From: Arun Dohle [mailto:arundohle@gmail.com]

Sent: Samstag, 18. August 2018 08:31

To: 'MANDJUKOVA Tereza'

Subject: complaint 1113/2018/TM

Dear Tereza,

Mumbai police have managed to nab the kingpin of a gang that trafficked a reported 300 children to America. Picked up from financially poor families in Gujarat, the children were sold to the highest bidder.

Kingpin of gang which sold 300 children to US buyers nabbed Five members of the gang including the kingpin have been arrested by Mumbai Police (Representative Image) |Photo Credit: Thinkstock Mumbai: One that seemed to be a small scale human trafficking operation, later turned out to be a massive child trafficking racket operating out of Mumbai. An actor's pro-awareness led to the bust of a gang that is responsible for sending close to 300 children from India to the United States of America. Police have now arrested the kingpin of the racket, Gujarat-resident Rajubhai Gamlewala.Going by his criminal record, Rajubhai entered the business to sell minors to prospective buyers in the US in 2007 charging an estimated Rs 45 lakh for each child. Details about the gang and its operations emerged after the arrests of members of his gang in March of this year. Meanwhile, the police is yet to ascertain the fate of those children already trafficked by the gang under the garb of adoption.

A police officer familiar with the investigation revealed how the gang sought buyers in the US who were looking for Indian children. Once they had a buyer lined up, the gang would approach families in Gujarat plagued with financial difficulties and convince them to sell their child. Once sold, the minors were sent to America alongside a mule who later returned to India. In order to make the children resemble the pictures on their fake passports, the gang would force them to wear makeup. Once the children gained entry into the US, the mule would return with the passport used to transport the child and return it to its original owner.Also Read: Doctors treating sexual assault survivors have to play dual roles, MHA issues guidelinesThe matter came to light in March of this year when actor Preeti Sood received word of minors being subjected to makeup at a salon in Mumbai's Versova. What her friends thought was forced prostitution soon turned out to be a massive adoption racket. A number of gang members were arrested at the time which led police to probe the matter thoroughly and eventually nab the kingpin. DCP (Zone IX) Paramjit Singh Dahiya said that Gamlewala has a prior arrest dating back to 2007 when he was nabbed for passport forgery in Mumbai. Gamlewala along with four other members of his gang have been booked under sections 34 and 373 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which correspond to charges of common intention and buying a minor for purposes of prostitution.

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