Germany split over Selmayr’s return to Brussels

EU minister says controversial civil servant “very much welcome” in Brussels but German government makes clear that is not its official position.

Martin Selmayr was chief of staff to former Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker before becoming secretary-general of the EU’s executive arm until 2019. | John Thys/AFP via Getty Images

The International Board of SOS Children’s Villages International met in an emergency session on the evening of 23 October 2025 and took decisive action following the grave news published in Austrian and then other media across the globe about historic cases of misconduct and abuse of children citing SOS-Kinderdorf Österreich (SOS CV Austria), and its former leader, Mr Hermann Gmeiner.

During its meeting, and in accordance with its governance Articles and Statutes, the International Board resolved to suspend SOS-Kinderdorf Österreich (SOS CV Austria) as a Member Association of the federation, along with its representative, Andreas Kovar, as a Member of the SOS CVI International Board.

In addition, the Board passed a motion recommending that a future SOS CVI federation Extraordinary General Assembly consider a resolution to remove Austria’s designated seat on the SOS CVI International Board. If approved by the federation General Assembly vote, SOS-Kinderdorf Österreich (SOS CV Austria) may nominate a candidate in the same manner as any other Member Association.

Commenting on the decisions of the SOS CVI International Board during the emergency session, International Board Chair, Dominico Parisi said: “The International Board’s hearts go out to all those who suffered because of one man’s actions. Children deserve happiness, dignity, and protection by those that they trust. Those who have betrayed this sacred trust deserve nothing but condemnation and shame for their actions.

But our organisation will not be defined by this dark stain on our history. These serious and meaningful decisions reflect the Board’s unwavering commitment to zero tolerance for any form of abuse or lack of transparency within our federation.

Adoption is not a fairy tale: why adoptees are critical of new VRT program

Korean adopted children arrive at Schiphol Airport on February 21, 1972. Many international adoptions were accompanied by fraud, including in Belgium, writes Lien Lammar.Source rv / Spaarnestad

Adoption is rarely a bed of roses, writes freelance journalist Lien Lammar. She wants more understanding for the harsh reality that adoptees face.

This article was written byLien LammarPublished on October 24, 2025, 3:00 AM

Mothers affected by historical forced adoption practices will be eligible for financial payments and counselling support under a new redress scheme the Tasmanian government says will be the best of its kind in Australia.

The scheme will cover practices that took place between 1950 and 1988, when unmarried mothers were forced into giving up their babies because of the social stigma surrounding pregnancy outside marriage.

It is estimated more than 11,000 forced adoptions occurred in Tasmania during this time, part of around 150,000 adoptions across Australia between 1951 and 1975.

Many women were sent to maternity homes and had their babies taken immediately after birth.

We are a non-profit organization (registered under the French law of 1901, number W381015733), a recognized
public interest organization founded by dedicated volunteers. Our quest is simple: to understand our origins.

Welcome

This website is a place for supporters of adoption legislative reform in
New Zealand

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This year, 2025, marks 70 years of the Adoption Act 1955 being used to permanently and legally sever people from their whānau and family.

Adoption Action 2025 event marking 70 years of the Adoption Act 1955

According to team.recherche, the Argentinian public prosecutor's office is investigating 48 cases of surrogacy. The charge: human trafficking. The investigation was triggered by a baby intended for a German couple. The research provides insight into a multi-billion-dollar business.

By Lea Busch, Marie Blöcher, Annette Kammerer, NDR

In November 2023, the German couple Heike and Claude traveled to Buenos Aires to welcome their baby. Ruby* was born in Argentina to a surrogate mother. Heike and Claude were already in their late 50s at this time. They had previously arranged for the baby through an agency and paid almost 50,000 euros for the service.

Back in Germany, Ruby catches a cold. Heike takes the approximately six-week-old baby to the hospital because of breathing difficulties. The staff are puzzled: Ruby only has Argentinian documents. Heike's advanced age also seems to be noticed. Furthermore, she appears unsure of herself in handling the child. The hospital contacts the youth welfare office. They fear the child's welfare is at risk and take Ruby into care.

"New dimension"

Kalyan Tehsil Office: Baby sold for lakhs at Kalyan Tehsildar's office; Is repeated abortions a life-threatening situation?

Dombivli: She had two miscarriages earlier, and if she has a child, her life is in danger….so the baby deal…and that too within the premises of the Kalyan Tehsil office… an attempt to buy and sell a newborn baby has been exposed. In this regard, a case has been registered at the Titwala Taluka Police Station against the child’s parents and the couple who are preparing to adopt the child illegally. The police have registered a case based on the complaint filed by the District Women and Child Development Department and started an investigation.

The action was taken based on information received through the Child Helpline of Thane District Women and Child Development Department. The parents of the child confessed to the police that they were selling the child for Rs 1 lakh due to their financial situation.

Immediate action is taken if the adoption process of young children is implemented illegally through the District Women and Child Development Department. In this way, the coordinating officer of the District Women and Child Development Department had received information about the Child Helpline. Upon learning that a couple was coming to the Kalyan Tehsil Office to prepare mutual documents to implement the adoption process of a child, Shraddha Narkar, coordinator of Thane District City Child Helpline, immediately reached the Kalyan Tehsil Office. It was noticed that a couple was present there to adopt their child to another couple. Since this was a serious matter, Shraddha Narkar took help from the local Mahatma Phule Chowk police.

The baby is safe with his mother Ashish from Dombivli.

I don't expect answers to all my questions, but they do keep me busy.

Binita Pinoy (28) traveled from Nepal to Belgium with her Flemish adoptive parents when she was four. She grew up in a suburb of Leuven, but moved to Mechelen with her boyfriend two years ago. "I feel more and more like a Mechelen resident," she says.   

I was born in Nepal but was adopted by a Flemish couple when I was four. I don't have many memories of that period, neither of my first years in Nepal nor of my arrival in Belgium. I was able to reconstruct some of it using photos and videos my adoptive parents took. It's funny: in those videos, you see me speaking Nepali, even though I don't speak a word of Nepali anymore.

It's always been clear to me that I was adopted. There was no secret about it. That was difficult, since I have a different skin color. Only later in life did I delve deeper into my own identity and the topic of adoption, and did I even address the emotional side of it. There was a period when I identified solely as Belgian and wanted to be recognized as such. I wanted little or nothing to do with Nepal. But the reverse also happened, where I valued everything non-Belgian more. Later, I came to embrace both backgrounds more. Today, I still feel more Belgian in some situations and more non-Belgian in others. 

My parents and I always stayed in touch through letters, using an intermediary in Nepal. Little is known about my biological mother, but through that intermediary, I kept in touch with my biological father and sister. That way, we stayed informed about each other's lives. It was my sister who first asked if I wanted to come visit.

EFA advocates for an official and formal recognition by the French State, as the host country for the children, of its responsibility and negligence which have allowed illegal and irregular adoptions in matters of international adoption.

 

Recognition that the victims were waiting for

This recognition is eagerly awaited by the victims of these practices: first and foremost, adopted people, but also their biological and adoptive families. EFA emphasizes these three levels.

It must be documented by evidence provided by the results of investigations carried out by the countries of origin and by the adopted persons.

For EFA, this recognition should not be an indictment against international adoption, which remains today a protective measure that meets the interests of the child deprived of a family when it is not possible to find a satisfactory solution for him in his country of origin.