Blogging about life in Minnesota, raising our six kids with Down syndrome while battling Breast Cancer.

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor in the morning the devil says, "Oh shit! She's up!"

Monday, May 09, 2011

Formal Announcement

To all my readers:

Romania is pressured to reopen adoptions for foreign citizens, Romania libera reads following a decision of Romanian authorities in 2005 to block the process. President Basescu gave plenty of assurances that the situation will not change in his mandate.

Meanwhile, Romania is under a lot of pressure from US and EU officials to reopen the adoptions program for foreign citizens. In an interview for the newspaper US General Consul James Gray talks about the issues that stand between cooperation of the two countries in this sector.

Gray said that things have changed since 2005 and now authorities have tougher measures that imply real responsibilities to satisfy the state of origin of the children. In his opinion, Romania needs to change legislation and there was a proposal for a limited reopening of adoptions but the incumbent PM Emil Boc refused it.

May 6th, 2011 Erin Siegal/

Susana María de la Asunción Loarca Saracho, known to many Americans by her pen name “Susana Luarca,” has been taken into custody (“captured”) at her residence in Zone 10 of Guatemala City a little over an hour ago, at approximately 4:45 p.m. Police officers, CICIG investigators, and agents from the Ministerio Público were present for the arrest.

Loarca’s arrest follows an April 19, 2011 decision by the First Penal Court of Guatemala City to overturn a prior arrangement made by the Third Court of Appeals, which allowed Loarca to remain free on bail and house arrest. She is being charged with conspiracy, trafficking in persons for illegal adoption and use of false documents.

The case against Loarca, informally known as “the Asociación Primavera case” or “the Primavera case” to Guatemalan investigators, involves a network of at least seven people who will face criminal charges related to illegal adoption and human trafficking of the child known as Karen Abigail López García. There is also an arrest warrant out for Marvin Josue Bran Galindo (known as Marvin Bran), who first offered “Karen Abigail” as an adoptable orphan to the US adoption agency Celebrate Children International. His whereabouts are currently unknown.

Ethiopia to Cut Foreign Adoptions by Up to 90 Percent

By Peter Heinlein | Addis Ababa

VOA News

Ethiopia is cutting back by as much as 90 percent the number of inter-country adoptions it will allow, as part of an effort to clean up a system rife with fraud and corruption. Adoption agencies and children’s advocates are concerned the cutbacks will leave many Ethiopian orphans without the last-resort option of an adoptive home abroad.

Ethiopia’s Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs has issued a directive saying it will process a maximum of five inter-country adoptions a day, effective March 10. Currently, the ministry is processing up to 50 cases a day, about half of them to the United States.

A copy of the directive provided to VOA says the reduction of up to 90 percent in cases will allow closer scrutiny of documents used to verify a child’s orphan status.

Ministry spokesman Abiy Ephrem says the action was taken in response to indications of widespread fraud in the adoption process.

Our day began with a morning visit to Orphanage "Nezabravka"in Stara Zagora. We met with the orphanage director and she shared some of the things that her children do and are involved in. This is an orphanage that is more involved in the community and offer many more things to their children. This is also a facility for children ages 4 to 7. This orphanage is working with some biological parents to provide education and training to properly raise their children and regain custody. We asked how many children had special needs and the director identified one child with Autism, who found out later was lucky to still be there at this facility at the age of 10. The director said that they used to have a child with hydrocephalus but they sent it away with a shooing type motion with her hand. As we observed there some other children with hearing impairments and vision impairments. While the children did not display special needs in the way of genetic disorders or developmental disabilities, these children do have special needs. They have experienced loss, separation, the must share attention with many other children, they do not have a father or mother, they have experienced abuse, and much more. The needs are deeper and not defined. In addition, the director stated that these children would, however, only be adopted internationally. When asked why, she said that many of these children were children of Gypsies and they had darker skin and were not accepted by society. This just made me cringe especially as these children are healthy and children who are only being prevented a family because of the color of their skin. I would have loved to have tucked these children into my bags and taken them home and shown them the love they deserve.

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CICIG requests explanation from US Senator Landrieu regarding illegal adoption comments in Guatemala

FRIDAY, 29 APRIL 2011 07:18 THE GUATEMALA TIMES

CICIG REQUESTS PUBLIC EXPLANATION FROM SENATOR LANDRIEU (LOUISIANA STATE, U.S.A.) CONCERNING COMMENTS MADE ON REPORT OF ILLEGAL ADOPTIONS IN GUATEMALA. During her visit to Guatemala, the Senator met with various authorities responsible for child protection and manifested her disagreement with the CICIG´s report on criminal structures involved in illegal adoptions.

Guatemala, 27 April 2011. The Guatemalan media edition of Prensa Libre, dated 26 April 2011 (pages 4 and 5), published a story about the visit of U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu which reads: “Landrieu said she does not share all of CICIG´s findings presented in a report in late 2010, detailing abnormalities in the adoption processes which are still in transition between the previous and the current law."

The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala publicly requests Senator Landrieu to provide evidence to the Guatemalan society on which she bases her comments to disqualify the content of the “Report on actors involved in the process of illegal adoptions in Guatemala." She was also invited to explain to the Guatemalan society her position concerning the numerous adoptions of children illegally taken away from their biological parents.

Pedofil sub acoperire: Sex cu Papa Charles!

PAPA CHARLES. Condamnat la Paris în 2003, pentru agresiune sexual? asupra unei minore din Cambodgia, "papa" Charles Fejto, cum era numit de feti?ele asiatice, a primit totodat? ?i interdic?ia de a se mai apropia de copii. În 2009, îns?, în timpul unei vizite în Ungaria, "filantropul" a pozat în fa?a ziari?tilor maghiari al?turi de 5 copii cu care c?l?torea ?i pe care pretindea c? îi sus?ine financiar. Papa Charles a intrat din nou în încurc?tur?, de data asta în România, unde e acuzat c? ?i-a cump?rat o copil? din Salonta pe post de juc?rie sexual?

Procurorii Direc?iei de Investigare a Infrac?iunilor de Criminalitate Organizat? ?i Terorism Oradea cerceteaz? un francez care a încercat s? scoat? din ?ar?, cu documente de identitate falsificate, o ?ig?ncu?? de 14 ani de care ar abuza sexual înc? de anul trecut.

Charles Fejto, fondator al ASPECA, o renumit? organiza?ie interna?ional? pentru protec?ia copilului aflat? sub tutela ONU, e acuzat c? a cump?rat copila cu 60.000 euro, chiar de la mama acesteia. Afacerea a ajuns în aten?ia procurorilor în momentul în care francezul a încercat s? scoat? adolescenta din România cu acte false. Pus sub învinuire pentru pedofilie, trafic de minori ?i uz de fals, b?rbatul de 66 ani a primit interdic?ia de a p?r?si România ?i se ap?r? declarându-se victima unui ?antaj...

Afaceri cu copii

County Council might associate with a controversial foundation


    



Objective


Tulcea County Council prepares to approve Wednesday the association with the foundation for the joint SERA Recovery and Rehabilitation Centre for Children with Disabilities Tulcea
Tumultuous past of a controversial foundations
Financial scandals public money
A combination hurry

Foundations of a tumultuous past controversial

SERA Foundation was founded by Francois de Combret in 1990, raising funds and helping abandoned children in Romania in various ways. Long time, SERA Foundation functioned as intermediary for international adoptions, until  the EU accession of Romania to stop this process.

By various spokesmen foundation SERA always ruled in favor of resuming international adoptions, pressing the Romanian authorities to facilitate this type of adoption. In support of his theories, the foundation often used false and inaccurate stories promoted, knowingly exaggerating both the number of children abandoned annually in Romania and conditions in which they live. In the process of decentralization of the child protection system, when attempting to quit mammoth orphanages and transition to the care of abandoned children as a "foster care" SERA Foundation organized a campaign in the French press, denigrate the child care system in Romania and further claiming that the best solution for abandoned children as international adoptions. The campaign was not only biased, but using photographic images made in the early '90s, no real connection with what is happening at the onset of the campaign. In fact, the founder of the foundation, Francois de Combret, was an adversary of the foster care system, arguing that instead of being paid so many foster parents, better children are allowed to go abroad, even if they are losing ago.

Financial scandals public money

 

A combination hurry

The association between Tulcea County - General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection Foundation Tulcea SERA, even if done in terms of the law, we raise a question mark because of the foundation's troubled past. Although at first glance it seems extremely advantageous in terms of the county, the haste with which it is done is unnatural. Foundation proposes Council on 13 April 2011, a joint venture for the construction of a joint recovery and rehabilitation center, Asuman-go and bear costs up to a maximum of 250,000 euro and rushes County Council to approve this association on April 27, 2011. The basis for this decision was not - at least not among the documents accompanying the decision of the County Council - no opportunity study, no project and no cost estimate. It is true that, in theory, the foundation undertakes to bear the costs of construction, but only up to 250,000 euros, while Tulcea County provides not only land. But this is only theoretical. Basically, the County Council is harnessed to a work whose details are not known, and if the foundation feels hindered in any way to make the subject cotractului Association may require from CJ twice the amount spent. As we believe that the amount of 250,000 euros is not enough for building-tion and equipment recovery center, ask the County Council to postpone making a hasty decision, analyzing history properly so SERA Foundation, and the possible implications of an association with it, avoiding to leave drew a landlocked story under pretxtul of good deeds.Beyond hostility to the Romanian legislation and national strategy on child protection and adoption, SERA Foundation has been involved over time, and some smaller financial scandals or major. In February 2006, a business daily reported thought of ROL 36 billion (£ 3.6 million, approximately one million euros at the rate of time) from public funds of the Department for Child Protection County, the SERA was accused works as prices doubled using a co-contractor for the construction of buildings for Dolj CPD activity.
SERA against Roman rule

Debate emerged in the period 2002-2006 around international adoptions revealed that the Romanian state has lost track of more than 20,000 children adopted overseas, their fate is unknown. Much has been speculated that some children, especially those with various handicaps, was adopted only organ trafficking hypothesis, however, he remained a speculation, never proven. It is certain, however, that the fact that the fate of these children still remained unknown weighed greatly in maintaining the ban to allow adoptions abroad. Francois de Combret conducted a less-TERN lobby during 2004-2006, using the positions they occupy when in the interests of large French companies with major investments in Romania.

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Consiliul Judetean s-ar putea asocia cu o fundatie controversata

    

Obiectiv

Consiliul Judetean Tulcea se pregateste sa aprobe miercuri asocierea cu fundatia SERA pentru realizarea in comun a Centrului de Recuperare si Reabilitare pentru Copilul cu Handicap Tulcea
Trecutul tumultuos al unei fundatii controversate
Scandaluri financiare pe bani publici
O asociere grabita

Trecut tumultuos al unei fundatii controversate
Fundatia SERA a fost infiintata de catre Francois de Combret in 1990, strangand fonduri si ajutand copii abandonati din Romania in diverse moduri. Multa vreme, Fundatia SERA a functionat si ca inter-mediar pentru adoptiile internationale, pana in momentul
in care aderarea la UE a Romaniei a oprit acest proces. Prin diversi purtatori de cuvant ai fundatiei, SERA s-a pronuntat mereu in favoarea reluarii adoptiilor internationale, presand autoritatile romane sa faciliteze acest gen de adoptii. In sprijinul teoriilor sale, fundatia a folosit deseori informatii false si a promovat stiri inexacte, exagerand cu buna stiinta atat numarul copiilor abandonati anual in Romania, cat si conditiile in care acestia traiesc. In plin proces de descentralizare a sistemului de protectie a copilului, cand se incerca renuntarea la orfelinatele mamut si trecerea la ingrijirea copiilor abandonati in sistem "foster care", Fundatia SERA a organizat o campanie in presa franceza, denigrand sistemul de asistenta a copilului din Romania si sustinand in continuare ca cea mai buna solutie pentru copiii abandonati ar fi adoptiile interna-tionale. Campania nu era doar tendentioasa, dar folosea imagini fotografice realizate la inceputul anilor '90, fara legatura reala cu ceea ce se intampla in momentul declansarii campaniei. De altfel, fondatorul fundatiei, Francois de Combret, a fost un adversar declarat al sistemului de asistenta maternala, sustinand ca in loc sa fie platiti atatia asistenti maternali, mai bine copiii sunt lasati sa plece in strainatate, chiar daca li se pierde urma.
SERA impotriva statului roman
Polemica iscata in perioada 2002-2006 in jurul adoptiilor internationale a scos la iveala faptul ca statul roman a pierdut urma a peste 20.000 de copii adoptati in strainatate, soarta acestora fiind necunoscuta. S-a speculat mult ca unii dintre copii, in special cei cu diverse handicapuri, ar fi fost adoptati doar pentru trafic de organe, ipoteza, insa, ce a ramas la stadiul de speculatie, nefiind niciodata dovedita. Cert este, insa, ca faptul ca soarta acestor copii a ramas in continuare necunoscuta a cantarit extrem de mult in mentinerea interdictiei de a se permite adoptiile in strainatate. Francois de Combreta desfasurat un pu-ternic lobby in perioada 2004-2006, folosindu-se de pozitiile pe care le ocupa atunci in cadrul unor mari companii franceze cu interese majore de investitii in Romania.
Scandaluri financiare pe bani publici
Dincolo de aceasta atitudine ostila legislatiei romanesti in vigoare si strategiei nationale privind protectia copilului si adoptiile, Fundatia SERA a mai fost implicata, de-a lungul timpului, si in unele scandaluri financiare de mai mica sau mare amploare. In februarie 2006, cotidianul Gandul relata o afacere de 36 de miliarde de lei vechi (3,6 milioane de lei noi, aproximativ 1.000.000 de euro la cursul BNR de atunci) din bani publici ai Directiei pentru Protectia Copilului Dolj, in care SERA era acuzata ca ar fi dublat preturile lucrarilor, folosind un co-contractor pentru construirea unor cladiri destinate activitatii DPC Dolj.
O asociere grabita
Asocierea dintre CJ Tulcea - Directia Generala de Asistenta Sociala si Protectia Copilului Tulcea si Fundatia SERA, chiar daca se face in termenii legii, ne ridica un semn de intrebare tocmai din cauza trecutului zbuciumat al fundatiei. Chiar daca la prima vedere totul pare extrem de avantajos din punct de vedere al judetului, graba cu care se realizeaza totul este nefireasca. Fundatia propune Consiliului, in 13 aprilie 2011, o asociere in vederea construirii in comun a unui centru de recuperare si reabilitare, asuman-du-si sa suporte costuri de pana la 250.000 de euro maxim, iar Consiliul Judetean se grabeste sa aprobe aceasta asociere pe data de 27 aprilie 2011. La baza acestei hotarari nu se afla - sau cel putin nu se afla printre actele ce insotesc hotararea de Consiliu Judetean - niciun studiu de oportunitate, niciun proiect si nicio estimare a costurilor. E drept ca, teoretic, fundatia isi asuma sa suporte costurile constructiei, dar numai in limita a 250.000 de euro, in timp ce CJ Tulcea nu pune la dispozitie decat terenul. Dar asta este doar teoretic. Practic, Consiliul Judetean se inhama la o lucrare ale carei detalii nu le cunoaste, iar daca fundatia se simte impiedicata in vreun fel sa realizeze obiectul cotractului de asociere poate cere de la CJ dublul sumei cheltuite. Cum noi consideram ca suma de 250.000 de euro este insuficienta pentru constru-irea si dotarea centrului de recuperare, solicitam Consiliului Judetean sa amane luarea unei hotarari pripite, analizand cum se cuvine atat istoricul Fundatiei SERA, cat si posibilele implicatii ale unei asocieri cu aceasta, evitand astfel sa se lase atras intr-o poveste fara iesire, sub pretxtul unor fapte bune.

Updated : 4/27/2011 3:20:00 PM

USAID helps child adoption reform in Vietnam

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has granted US$300,000 to UNICEF in Vietnam to support the programme “strengthening legislation and monitoring systems for child adoption” in the nation from now until 2013.

The USAID grant will contribute to the improvement of the current legal and regulatory framework to ensure its compliance with international standards to better protect children without parental care through the development and implementation of national legislation and policies on domestic and inter-country adoption, and the ratification of the Hague Convention.

In addition, the grant will support setting up a national monitoring system for child adoption and building the capacity of policy makers, welfare and enforcement personnel to better protect children.