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Viewing cable 10CAIRO344, ILLEGAL ADOPTIONS IN EGYPT

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
10CAIRO344 2010-02-22 11:11 2011-02-16 21:09 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Cairo
VZCZCXRO9568RR RUEHROVDE RUEHEG #0344/01 0531146ZNR UUUUU ZZHR 221143Z FEB 10FM AMEMBASSY CAIROTO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0349INFO ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVERHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DCRHMFIUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 000344  SIPDIS POSTS FOR FRAUD PREVENTION UNITS DEPT FOR CA/FPP, CA/EX, CA/OCS, DS/CR/OCI ALSO FOR G/TIP, INL, DRL, PRM, NEA/RA, NEA/ELA, NEA/PPD DS/IP/NEA  E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CMGT CASC KOCI ASEC PHUM SMIG KFRD CVIS EGSUBJECT: ILLEGAL ADOPTIONS IN EGYPT  REF: CAIRO 0092 AND PREVIOUS  1.  (SBU) Summary: For the past 16 months, the Fraud Prevention Unit (FPU) has been investigating cases of illegal adoptions in Egypt (see ref). Coptic priests, nuns and doctors remain key players in the illegal adoptions. Cases of illegal adoptions continue with the most recent announcement by Egyptian prosecutors on February 16 of the trial of an American couple and six Egyptians in Alexandria. In 2009, an Egyptian court in Cairo sentenced eleven individuals, including four Americans and a Coptic nun to two to five years in prison for baby trafficking. End Summary.    "Rogue" Priests  ----------------    2. (SBU) The FPU has confirmed 31 cases where children have been illegally adopted in Egypt and either taken to the United States or raised in Egypt. The earliest confirmed case by the FPU is from 1989, although one Coptic priest admitted the practice has been going on since 1976. This particular priest also provided other insights during an interview with the Fraud Prevention Manager (FPM) on February 11, 2010.  He stated that the majority of the priests involved in illegal adoptions are very charismatic, have numerous followers and are consumed with their position of power as leaders of the Coptic community. According to this priest, the "big" personalities of these individuals have prompted them to engage in activities not condoned by many others in the Coptic Church. He mentioned that the Church is more than capable of raising and educating unwanted Coptic children. He added that in Alexandria, literally hundreds of babies are given to childless families and only a few have been taken out of Egypt.    Unscrupulous Doctors  --------------------    3. (SBU) The cases of illegal adoptions generally involve doctors falsely attesting to the delivery of the newborn for the alleged biological parents.  The letter from the doctor is used to acquire a genuine Egyptian birth certificate and sometimes a passport. The FPU confirmed that in many instances the doctors receive payment in return for their false statements and/or procurement of newborns. The FPU linked one doctor to cases as far back as 1995 and as recent as 2008. The doctor's fees ranged from USD 100 for a newborn to USD 5000 for personal delivery of a newborn to the United States (see 09 Cairo 207 and previous). FPU cooperation with Egyptian State Security Investigative Services (SSIS) led to the arrest of this doctor in May 2009.    Americans to Stand Trial Again  ------------------------------    4. (SBU) On February 16, Egyptian prosecutors charged two Americans and six Egyptians with forgery, illegal adoption and baby trafficking.  Another American in the United States was also identified and charged in absentia.  Egypt's Prosecutor General identified the Egyptians as two priests, two doctors, a civil servant and an engineer.  All, but two of these individuals are currently fugitives. In September of 2009, an Egyptian court sentenced four Americans and seven Egyptians to two to five years in prison for baby trafficking and forgery.    Comment  -------  CAIRO 00000344  002 OF 002   5. (SBU) Most of the illegal adoptions confirmed by the FPU have involved childless couples desperate for children.  However, in some cases the FPU is unable to trace the whereabouts of the child. Confirmed cases of unscrupulous doctors raises concern for the newborns involved in such illegal adoptions. Post is proposing stronger language for the Country Specific Information for Egypt warning against attempting to illegally adopt in Egypt.      Scobey 

U.S. won't admit 12 BRESMA orphans

U.S. won't admit 12 BRESMA orphans

Saturday, February 20, 2010

By Dennis B. Roddy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A dozen Haitian children who fell into a bureaucratic crack have been turned

down for admission to the United States, according to the two Ben Avon

'Invisible' children at risk from unofficial fostering

'Invisible' children at risk from unofficial fostering

Youth survey claims one in 10 is involved in private care pacts

By Nina Lakhani

jason alden

Precious Williams, 38, was sent to live with private foster carers just days after she was born

Blog - BRESMA children to GLA

February 20, 2010

Posted by Tom Vanderwell. No Comments

I was going to take the day off today. But ended up working 8 AM to 5 PM!

I wanted to write a mini newsletter to my update group. There are now 2300 people signed up for my email updates and I am so busy that it is hard for me to blog and write updates and do a newsletter! Yikes! But I really wanted to send out the email update because not everyone reads blogs1 I know…hard to believe, huh?

Margarette St. Fleur, director of BRESMA orphanage, brought 4 more children to us. While she was here, UNICEF called her. They were coming to see her and did not understand that she has sent her children to me. So I got on the phone and talked to them and told them that Margarette had brought the children to GLA because her orphanage needed repairs. They told me that they were coming to see Margarette because they had received word that it was said that UNICEF had not helped her in any way. It is true that they did not help her nor did IBESR. Even the French Embassy knew BRESMA needed help and should have seen that she got food, supplies, and shelter since the majority of the children are being adopted by French families! My only regret is that I did not find out that her babies were all sleeping outside sooner. A couple of the younger babies were malnourished and sick, but most of the children are in okay condition. All children in Haiti should be protected, even those waiting for adoption!

Friday update from the Hams! (Read Thursday's first!) - meeting birth mom

Friday, February 19, 2010
Today was quite a day! We were SOOOO happy to be able to spend a few hours next to Hana's birth mom at Tikuret orphanage (where Hana spent about 8 months before she was moved in January to the care center). Definitely an emotional time, but SO SO wonderful to have the chance to meet and speak with her. She was so happy to learn we were Christians and said she has been praying for a good Christian family for Hana and was thrilled to meet us. We learned so much more about the family situation and see clearly that she loves Hana with all her heart, but only wanted a much better life for her. We of course will share many more details when we see you all. It was just a precious time, even for Caleb who spoke up all on his own to tell her we will always be praying for her and that we will love and take such good care of Hana. She loved hearing those words from the boy who is to be Hana's older brother......it seemed to mean a lot to her. Tikuret also planned a special coffee ceremony and lunch ( I'm trying to like ET food.....it's interesting). Unfortunately we weren't able to get hardly any video of Hana's mom b/c the battery had gone dead. But we did get several pictures, and those will be priceless.

Tomorrow morning we are going to go meet Hana and Edilu at the care center and spend a little bit of time with them. In the afternoon, Tikuret has arranged for us to go South to the area Hana is from, and it sounds like we may have the opportunity to go with them as they take Meseret (her mother) home and to see where they live. From what she told us, she and her other two children are renting out a corner of a kitchen. Hopefully we will get the chance to meet the older siblings and see where Hana lived before being brought to the orphanage. We'll be spending the night about 5 hours from the city for tomorrow night if everything goes as planned, and then we'll drive back home Sunday morning I think.

Please continue to pray that our health will hold out for the remainder of the trip. We both had bad headaches when we woke up this morning and just felt a little icky. Maybe some of it is just from the huge time change on our bodies.

Won't be here tomorrow night to update, but will be back and can hopefully update you Sunday eve.

Love,
Nancie
Posted by

UNICEF Seeks to Keep Kids Out of Haiti Orphanages

UNICEF Seeks to Keep Kids Out of Haiti Orphanages

By TIM PADGETT AND JESSICA DESVARIEUX / PORT-AU-PRINCE Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010

ENLARGE PHOTO+

Children wait for a visit from UNICEF executive director Ann Veneman at the Notre Dame orphanage in Port-au-Prince

Eduardo Munoz / Reuters

No reconsideration of adoptions from Ethiopia


No reconsideration of adoptions from Ethiopia

Press release | 18-02-2010

There is no reason to reconsider the existing adoption relationship between Ethiopia and the Netherlands. This opinion was submitted in a letter to the Lower House of Parliament by Minister of Justice Hirsch Ballin. The accredited bodies for adoption Stichting Afrika and Vereniging Wereldkinderen will resume adoptions from Ethiopia.

In September 2009, the accredited bodies (licensed organisations providing intermediary services for adoption) Stichting Afrika en Vereniging Wereldkinderen decided to temporarily halt the procedures for new applications for adoption from Ethiopia and to conduct further investigation into the files of children in the current adoption procedure. The reason therefor was that the factual background of some children adopted from Ethiopia was not in accordance with the information that was included in the files.

Subsequently, a delegation from the Ministry of Justice and the accredited bodies involved visited Ethiopia in November 2009, during which visit they spoke with various agencies, including Ethiopian Ministries, the embassies of the US, Italy and France, and UNICEF. The aim was to obtain insight into the adoption procedures in Ethiopia.

During the visit, the Ethiopian authorities indicated that they are making preparations to join the Hague Adoption Convention. For this purpose, the child protection services of Ethiopia are being strengthened. There will also be more attention for the supervision of the activities of foreign accredited organisations providing intermediary services for adoption, for which a special agency was instituted. The alleged wrongs that were the reason for the investigation has also been identified and recognised by the authorities. It is for this reason that children that are left as foundling will from now on only be taken in and given accommodation in state children's homes.

Minister Hirsch Ballin observes that the Ethiopian authorities are willing to discuss any shortcomings and that they are open to cooperation. The Minister therefore sees no reason to reconsider the adoption relationship with Ethiopia, and the accredited bodies will continue their work. The accredited bodies will, however, incorporate extra guarantees in the adoption procedures, and developments in Ethiopia will be carefully monitored. Ethiopia is being offered support in their process of joining the Hague Adoption Procedure. The Minister will also ask that attention be given to Ethiopia at the European level. "I am of the opinion that, in this way, I am doing justice to the endeavours to further a clear and careful adoption procedure in the interest of the child", the Minister declared.


http://english.justitie.nl/currenttopics/pressreleases/archives-2010/100218no-reconsideration-of-adoptions-from-ethiopia.aspx?cp=35&cs=1578

 

 

Geen heroverweging adopties uit Ethiopië

Nieuwsbericht | 18-02-2010

Burkina Faso: Franceline Silga - La vendeuse de bébés pêchée à Tripoli

Burkina Faso: Franceline Silga - La vendeuse de bébés pêchée à Tripoli

Adama Ouédraogo Damiss

18 Février 2010


Une vendeuse de bébé, on en voit rarement. Pourtant ce trafic éhonté d'êtres humains existe sous nos cieux. Et une Burkinabè répondant au nom de Franceline Silga, spécialiste de ce type de commerce, vient d'être pêchée à Tripoli et médite au frais sur son acte. A cet effet, le directeur général de la police, Rasmané Ouangrawa a animé une conférence de presse le 18 février 2010 dans la matinée.

Elle s'appelle Franceline Silga, née en janvier 1979 à Kourittenga. Animatrice de formation, cette jeune dame a changé entre-temps de profession pour se livrer à une pratique illicite dans la législation burkinabè. En effet, elle a trouvé son filon dans le trafic d'êtres humains, plus précisément de bébés qu'elle plaçait en adoption chez des couples européens moyennant évidemment une rémunération à la hauteur de son forfait.

Selon le directeur général de la police, Rasmané Ouangrawa, Franceline qui possède deux passeports burkinabè (un passeport de service et un passeport ordinaire) fait voyager par voie terrestre à partir du Burkina Faso, des femmes enceintes démunies, presque à terme, jusqu'à N'Djamena au Tchad. Elle les fait transiter par Tripoli, en Lybie, par voie aérienne puis les achemine à Rome, en Italie.

Après l'accouchement, les bébés sont récupérés pour adoption en échange d'une certaine somme d'argent. La trafiquante prend sa part, donne le reste aux mamans et rebelotte. Un tel acte ne pouvait rester impuni. C'est ainsi que dans la nuit du 16 février 2010, la trafiquante a été arrêtée et reconduite à Ouagadougou avec une fillette de moins de trois ans dont elle refuse de donner le nom du père.

La présumée coupable a déclaré, au dire du DG de la police, appartenir à une structure dénommée « Association Aide aux tout-petits, orphelins et enfants de rue » dont elle est la présidente du bureau de onze membres. Cette organisation, créée en juillet 2005, a fonctionné avant de voir son siège fermé en 2009 par le ministère de l'Action sociale pour absence d'autorisation d'ouverture.

On apprend également que lors de l'arrestation de la présumée coupable, il a été découvert dans ses bagages à main divers documents au nombre desquels deux passeports burkinabè aux noms de Kaboré Augueratou et de Ilboudo Patingué et dix-neuf fiches d'identification d'enfants burkinabè de pères inconnus censés se trouver en Italie. Ces deux femmes sus-citées auraient été conduites au Tchad alors qu'elles étaient enceintes. Franceline Silga a, sans doute, bénéficié de complicité pour mener toutes ces opérations.

Comment a-t-elle pu, par exemple, se faire établir un passeport de service ? Qui finançait ses voyages qui en toute évidence sont coûteux au regard du trajet ? Autant d'interrogations que les fins limiers de la police pourront élucider. Les investigations se poursuivent et dans les jours ou mois à venir, on aura peut-être d'autres informations relatives à cette ténébreuse affaire.

Blog: Baby Trafficking (China)

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Baby Trafficking

What a horrible day (sob).

The next step in Lili's adoption is to do a "re-adoption". Basically all it is is a formality to get a US issued "Certificate of Foreign Birth" so anytime Lili needs to show a birth certificate in the future, she can just show the Certificate of Foreign Birth, since she doesn't and won't ever have a birth certificate from China (the biological parents don't abandoned the children leaving their birth certificate with the baby).

So, I had tried to find an international adoption attorney in this area (the Middle of NoWhere, Oklahoma), but no one seemed to know how to do it. So, going off other adoptive families experiences I decided to do the re-adoption "pro se" or representing myself. At least by doing it myself I would save approx $2000.

Child: U.S. Adoption Agency Bought Me

NORFOLK, Va., Feb. 15, 2010

Child: U.S. Adoption Agency Bought Me

CBS News Investigates Serious Questions about the Legitimacy of Some Ethopian Adoptions

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