22 Flemish babies were given up for adoption last year

In 2018, 22 children in Flanders were ceded for adoption and adopted by other Flemish families. This is according to figures from Adoptiehuis, which mediates in all Flemish inland adoptions. Two of the children came from the foundling slider. In two cases, the mother finally returned to her steps. Het Nieuwsblad and Het Belang van Limburg report this today.

Adoptiehuis guides women who become unwantedly pregnant and seek a solution for their unborn baby. Last year, 73 women approached the organization. Seventeen of them decided after supervision and consultation to give their child up for adoption. The majority of the women had Belgian nationality, and for the majority it was a first pregnancy.

Of the 56 other women, the majority decided to keep the child, or they found a different solution. "We are not looking for adoptions," explains director Iris Vandeborre. “We are trying to find a solution. Adoption is the last link in youth care. In addition, Adoptiehuis was only called in by the hospital for five other children on the day of birth.

Two mothers eventually returned to their steps within two months - the legal reflection time.

Adoption children who ring the bell remain awkward when investigating fraud

After testimonies about fraud with adoptions from Ethiopia, Minister of Welfare Jo Vandeurzen (CD&V) promises an investigation. Adinda Aelvoet and Priyani Libert are left with a wry feeling. "Because they are almost elections, our politicians are now in motion. When we came out with our adoption story a year and a half ago, nothing happened. "

In recent days, fifteen more testimonials have been received from the newspaper about suspected adoption fraud. Spin in the web is the adoption agency Ray of Hope (RoH), which cooperated from 1997 to 2017 with a completely unreliable Ethiopian contact person according to the testimonials.

Flemish Parliament member Lorin Parys (N-VA) wants an extra session of the Flemish Parliament before the elections about possible fraudulent adoptions. He argues for a "thorough and independent investigation". Flemish Minister for Welfare Jo Vandeurzen is also in favor of such an investigation into past adoption practices.

BABY FARMS IN SRI LANKA

Jaak Albert was abducted from Rwanda and grew up in Belgium without identity

Jaak Albert is 66 years old, father of three children and grandfather of five grandchildren. After his military service, he became the first black police officer at the Antwerp police, where he worked up as an inspector and retired in 2012. That is the success story of his life, but also a very incomplete summary. "I have always felt like a third-class citizen."

Albert is also the man without a birth certificate, who has a family name made up by a nun and who, although his father was a Belgian, had to apply for citizenship himself and had to wait four years. Someone who has spent more time in the Belgian administrative maze than is good for a person.

When Albert wanted to marry his current wife in 2006, he first had to go to court with two witnesses to declare that he was born in Rwanda. That was not the first time, and again he had to wait months and months for a decision. “Until the end of July it was unclear whether our wedding could take place on 5 August. For my wife that was nerve-racking. ”

Albert, living in Kasterlee near Turnhout, is a "metis": the son of a white, Belgian colonial and a black woman. He was born in 1952 in Gisenyi, Rwanda, then a "mandate region" of Belgium. Children from mixed relationships were seen by the colonial government in the 1940s and 1950s as a threat to the colonial system. In many cases they were taken away from their mother and brought up in Catholic boarding schools.

New testimonials about fraud in adoption from Ethiopia

New testimonials have appeared about fraud in adoptions from Ethiopia. The adoption of the 936 Ethiopian children who came to Flanders between 1997 and 2017 may have made mistakes, as was shown last weekend by a testimony from a 17-year-old girl from Denderleeuw in Het Laatste Nieuws. The newspaper has now received 15 new testimonials. VRT NWS is looking for parents and children who may be the victims of adoption fraud.

After the story of last weekend, 15 testimonials were received from Het Laatste Nieuws of adoptions from Ethiopia that were cheated on. In adoptions, for example, biological parents were wrongly declared dead and children had to present themselves as siblings while they were not even blood relatives. Children also had to lie about their age.

The adoptions took place between 1997 and 2017 and almost all were handled by the same adoption agency, Ray of Hope. They were all treated on the spot by one and the same contact person, as is usually the case.

Call

Support Amy and her family's future

Amy was adopted in a late age from Ethiopia to Denmark. Donations must secure her a new home and help her get started with her studies.

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Sonntag Pictures is the film company that has been following the adopted girl Amy in her struggle for the past 5 years to recreate the family ties broken in her late adoption from Ethiopia.

We have previously seen that the audience for our films want to donate support to our contributors. It's possible here.

Shareable Link Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ksK3jV5mu69u_qRnA2wJMzXKx1qd_Fy-N8i-x2nbSdQ/edit?usp=sharing

File was too big, hereby a link to the document.

Vandeurzen: "Anyone with doubts about adoption file can have it investigated"

'Anyone with questions or doubts about his file or adoption procedure can go to the adoption service or to the Flemish Center for Adoption (VCA). They can provide insight into the file and together with the adopted persons or the adoptive parents view if and how there can be more clarity. If necessary, an on-site investigation can provide a definitive answer '. That is what Flemish Minister for Welfare Jo Vandeurzen (CD&V) says

Between 1997 and 2017, Ethiopia was by far the most popular adoptive country for Flanders. A total of 936 children came here. The question is whether that always happened correctly. Last weekend, a 17-year-old girl from Denderleeuw revealed how her file was lied to from beginning to end. The Flemish government does not exclude that there are still victims. "It is very difficult to give that guarantee," says Het Laatste Nieuws. Flemish Minister for Welfare Jo Vandeurzen "understands that the article raises many questions among adoptive parents and adopted children and that this causes concern." The CD&V minister also says that people can turn to the relevant adoption service or the Flemish Center for Adoption (VCA) if they have questions or doubts. "In recent years, we have been confronted with stories that show that adoptions have not been successful in all cases in the past," Vandeurzen acknowledges. The rules are stricter, but intercountry adoption is 'put in a negative light'. "Consequently, many adopted people ask themselves about their origin," it sounds.

According to Vandeurzen, the problem certainly does not only concern Flanders. Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden, for example, have already decided to look at adoption practices from the past. 'Such an investigation is, for the time being, the only possibility of gaining more insight into where it went wrong in the past. We also take this concern to heart and look at how we can bring more clarity about adoption practices from the past, "concludes the CD&V minister.

Dutch:

Vandeurzen: 'Wie twijfels heeft over adoptiedossier, kan dat laten onderzoeken'

29/04/19 om 19:46

Bijgewerkt om 19:46

Bron : Belga

'Wie vragen of twijfels heeft over zijn dossier of adoptieprocedure kan terecht bij de adoptiedienst of bij het Vlaams Centrum voor Adoptie (VCA). Zij kunnen inzage geven in het dossier en samen met de geadopteerden of de adoptieouders bekijken of en op welke manier er meer duidelijkheid kan komen. Indien nodig kan een onderzoek ter plaatse uitsluitsel bieden'. Dat zegt Vlaams minister van Welzijn Jo Vandeurzen (CD&V)

My Mother Disappeared, and My Father had Died.

None of it is true.

FOR THE FIRST TIME A FLEMISH TEENAGER TESTIFIES ABOUT FRAUD REGARDING HER ADOPTION FROM ETHIOPIA.

HLN, 27 April 2019 (Google translation)

In 2009, Thereza (17) came from Ethiopia and ended up in Flanders. Her adoptive parents were told that the biological mother had disappeared and that the father had died. A lie, as it turns out. ‘’ My file is full of errors.’’ Thereza is outraged and tells her story because she wants to make sure that adoptive children are taken seriously. ‘’ We are not products with which you can do whatever you want. ‘’ JEROEN BOSSAERT & LIEVE VAN BASTELAERE.

One complaint after another about tampering with adoptions

There are more and more testimonies about fraud in adoptions from Ethiopia between 1997 and 2017. In 48 hours our editorial staff already received 15 testimonials from adoptive parents who claimed that serious mistakes had been made. They demand an investigation. Minister of Welfare Jo Vandeurzen is examining whether that is a possibility.

It started last weekend with a testimony from 17-year-old Thereza De Wannemaeker from Denderleeuw, but in the meantime more and more Flemish people are coming out with their story about fraud in an adoption file from Ethiopia. The past 48 hours have already received 15 testimonials from our editors. There are serious errors in this. Parents who were wrongly declared dead, children who were pressured to lie about their age and children who were wrongly presented as siblings. Almost all the files were handled through the adoption agency Ray of Hope and went through the same contact person in Ethiopia. "We remain convinced that the man did everything according to the procedures," says Ray of Hope.

Our witnesses dispute that and state that they informed the adoption agency years ago. They are now addressing the Flemish government. "This needs to be investigated." Minister of Welfare Jo Vandeurzen (CD&V) is looking at what is possible. “We cannot just request all files, that would be a violation of privacy. But we are looking at how we can bring more clarity. Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden have already decided to investigate past adoption practices. That is the only way to get an idea of ??what went wrong. ”Between 1997 and 2017, 936 children from Ethiopia came to Flanders.

Dutch: