On 27 May 2024, the Council has adopted new rules to reinforce the fight against trafficking in human beings. These rules provide stronger tools for law enforcement and judicial authorities to investigate and prosecute new forms of exploitation, including those that take place online and will ensure a higher level of assistance and support to victims.

The adoption includes the following measures:

• EU countries will be required to include the exploitation of surrogacy, of forced marriage, and of illegal adoption as forms of exploitation explicitly covered by the definition of trafficking in human beings in their national law;
• Trafficking committed through the use of information and communication technologies will be considered as an aggravating circumstance when it relates to sexual exploitation, which means that it can lead to higher penalties;
• EU countries will be required to establish Formal Referral Mechanisms, enhancing early identification and assistance of victims, as well as single national focal points, which will form the basis of a European Referral Mechanism;
• The knowing use of services provided by trafficking victims will become a criminal offence, with the aim of reducing the demand that fosters trafficking;
• National Anti-Trafficking Coordinators will be established, and Member States will also have the possibility to designate independent bodies. The adoption and regular updates of National Action Plans will also become mandatory;
• EU-wide data collection on trafficking in human beings based on specific indicators will become mandatory and will be published annually by Eurostat.

Young mother was allegedly forced to give up her five-month-old for adoption

A young mother’s life has been torn apart after an official of a child adoption organisation allegedly forced her to give up her five-month-old son. Picture | Henk Kruger.

Published May 25, 2024

After years of struggle, there seems to be a definitive end to the adoption of foreign children by Dutch prospective parents. Saskia de Groot of SAP Personal Injury Lawyers represents adopted children who have fallen victim to abuses in the adoption sector. They are cautiously optimistic.

First, the background: why are international adoptions under fire? Since the 1970s, Dutch prospective parents have adopted more than forty thousand children from abroad. In doing so, rules were regularly violated. Children were not always given up voluntarily, birth certificates were forged. In many cases, Dutch officials knew about the fraud, but turned a blind eye or actively cooperated. The result is that children were torn away from their family and country of origin under false pretenses. Because of the forged papers, they have little or no opportunity to search for their biological family. Where they do succeed, it often costs a great deal of time and money.

State held liable

In 2018, SAP held the Dutch state liable on behalf of a group of adoptees. Other offices also initiated proceedings. The state has always denied responsibility for the abuses. Although there is occasional success in court, judges often rule that it is not right to look at procedures from the 1970s and 1980s with today's eyes.

In 2021, the Joustra Commission published a damning report on the widespread abuses in adoption procedures. The Dutch government had been aware of adoption abuses since the late 1960s. In doing so, the government failed to meet its responsibilities and obligations and failed to intervene when there was reason to do so. The harsh conclusions led to a temporary freeze on adoptions.

Guatemala’s baby brokers: how thousands of children were stolen for adoption – podcast

From the 1960s, baby brokers persuaded often Indigenous Mayan women to give up newborns while kidnappers ‘disappeared’ babies. Now, international adoption is being called out as a way of covering up war crimes. By Rachel Nolan

Inside the Conservative Movement to Promote Adoption

The mothers of ModernAdoptionPlans.org have a message for women who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant: You, too, can turn this difficult time into a rewarding experience by relinquishing your baby for adoption.

In glossy videos, they tell their stories. They found themselves in crisis. Many considered abortions before deciding on adoption. It was a painful choice, but it was the right choice.

“This is one of the greatest things a parent could ever do,” says Adrianne, a Black birth mother, from a sun-filled loft. Sarah, a white birth mother, speaks to us from what looks like a church. “I didn’t choose what was best for me. I chose what was best for him,” she says.

ECPAT INTERNATIONAL CHAIR OF BOARD RECRUITMENT PACK MAY 2024

These states banned abortion. Now they’re pushing adoption as an empowering choice for pregnant women.

The mothers of ModernAdoptionPlans.org have a message for women who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant: You, too, can turn this difficult time into a rewarding experience by relinquishing your baby for adoption.

In glossy videos, they tell their stories. They found themselves in crisis. Many considered abortions before deciding on adoption. It was a painful choice, but it was the right choice.

“This is one of the greatest things a parent could ever do,” says Adrianne, a Black birth mother, from a sun-filled loft. Sarah, a white birth mother, speaks to us from what looks like a church. “I didn’t choose what was best for me. I chose what was best for him,” she says.

Billboards, radio ads, and TV commercials across Texas urge residents to visit the website. In addition to the videos, Modern Adoption produced a resource guide where readers can find adoption agencies and crisis pregnancy centers, which are known to spread misinformation and push adoption. But nowhere does the site mention that the campaign is part of the multimillion-dollar, taxpayer-funded state program to dissuade women from having abortions.

55 Adopted Kids In Madurai To Get Birth Certificates

CITY

|Kaushik Kannan | May 22, 2024, 05:47 IST

Police said a 21-year-old woman delivered a baby girl four days ago at Tirupur Government Medical College Hospital.

COIMBATORE: The Tirupur police foiled an attempt by a young woman to give her infant on illegal adoption and inquiries are underway to punish the culprits.

Police said a 21-year-old woman delivered a baby girl four days ago at Tirupur Government Medical College Hospital.

Acting on a tip that the young mother is in talks for giving her baby, born before marriage, to a childless couple and the deal is being brokered by a temporary sanitary staff of the hospital, the Tirupur South police commenced an investigation.

On receiving a complaint from the hospital authorities, the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) officers are holding a separate inquiry.

The ban on adopting children from abroad is causing a lot of commotion among adopted children and adoptive parents. "I think it is a careless decision," says Sander Vlek, advisor at the National Association for Adoptive Families. "I miss the central focus on the interests of the child in this plan."

New adoption procedures are no longer possible since yesterday . Caretaker Minister Weerwind for Legal Protection decided to stop this immediately. Only people who already have an adoption procedure in progress are still eligible.

But adoption from abroad is a measure to protect children, says Vlek. "I miss the evidence that children in countries of origin have a realistic chance of finding a loving family."

At the same time, there are also organizations that applaud the adoption stop, such as International Child Development Initiatives. "The past has shown that abuses cannot be ruled out," says program manager Sarah de Vos of the children's advocacy organization.

Years of discussion