'Adviser' denies sex trafficking

Vegetable vendor's plea moves apex court

New Delhi |Monday, 2010 11:05:12 AM IST

The Supreme Court has sought the Maharashtra government's response to a lawsuit filed by a vegetable vendor accusing a Pune-based private trust of selling her two granddaughters to a Spanish couple under the garb of adoption.

A bench of Justice Aftab Alam sought the reply also from the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) on a lawsuit by Kisabai Tulsiram Lokhande, the grandmother of the girls.

In her lawsuit Lokhande, a vegetable vendor, has accused the private trust, Preet Mandir, of selling her two granddaughters to a Spanish couple for Rs.5 lakh and Rs.25 lakh respectively. She said she had handed over the girls to an observation home in Karad in September 2004 as she was unable to look after them.

La boîte à bébés, boîte à controverses

Image © Michele Limina

La boîte à bébés de l'Hôpital régional d'Einsiedeln (SZ) vient de recueillir un cinquième nouveau-né depuis sa création en 2001

Partager

Sur le web

Actress Lisa B plans to adopt baby girl from disaster zone

Undeterred by the controversy over the missionaries who tried to take a bus full of children out of Haiti, Lisa B is considering adopting a child from a disaster zone.

By Richard Eden

Published: 10:50PM GMT 13 Feb 2010

Lisa B Photo: REX Features

Fate of Chinese baby depends on parents consent to treatment

By Emily Chang, CNN

February 12, 2010 2:14 a.m. EST

China's 'Baby Hope'

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

02-12-2010 18:04

New Adoption Policy Backfires

Korea is trying to reduce the number of adoptions overseas to burnish its image but the new policy is leaving kids with special needs out of the loop.

/ Korea Times

By Bae Ji-sook

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2010

WHO IS JORGE PUELLO?

I've been curious about Jorge Puello since his name appeared about 10 days ago as the legal adviser for the New Lifers. Puello made a big splat on CNN when he complained about the severe conditions under which his clients were jailed: "No air conditioning! No Electricity! Very disturbing!"

According to news reports Puello was hired by Laura Silby's church, Central Valley Baptist, after either the church or Laura Silsby and her gang rejected the attorney (or attorneys) recommended by American Consular Services. Puello, in turn, hired Haitian attorney Edwin Coq to represent the detainees, even though Coq speaks Creole and no English. What to make of that nonsense?

Last week, according to whose story you believe, Puello fired Coq, claiming that the Haitian had demanded a $60,000 fee and attempted to bribe the prisoners back to the US. Coq denied the accusation, and said he quit because the families back in Idaho never sent him the $60,000 he needed to take the case. Sources inside of Haiti who know Coq claim that he is an "honest young lawyer" and refused to believe Puello's claim. Coq has complained to the press that Puello has ruined his reputation.

Earthquake Opens Doors, Fears of Child Trafficking

International

BY SHANTELLA Y. SHERMAN - WI STAFF WRITER

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2010

The consensus among African Americans has long been that children of color belong with families of color. Even when the children are of different nationalities, the belief is that cultural differences spoil the stew simmering inside the “melting pot.” Ironically, African American adoptive parents, particularly of immigrant Black children is rare. The recent arrest and detainment of 10 relief workers smuggling Haitian children from the country in the wake of a catastrophic earthquake has brought the plight of Diasporic adoptions and child trafficking to the forefront of the world media. Still, the dilemma remains: How best can the international adoption community answer the call for placements amid accusations of kidnapping and abuse?

'Paedophile' Heum to walk to walk free?

11 Feb 2010, 0924 hrs IST, AGENCIES

William Heum, the Dutch national who was arrested on charges of child pornography charges in November last year may walk free on Thursday (February 11).

Meanwhile, against the backdrop of a Dutch man being granted bail in Tamil Nadu in a child pornography case, Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said there is need to bring a separate law to deal with such cyber crimes. Laws are there, but some aspects of them should be revisited, he told reporters here when asked about the case.

Dutch national William Heum (56) was granted conditional bail by Saidapet metropolitan court in Tamil Nadu.

Unicef warns against Haiti child smuggling

By EDITH M. LEDERER (AP) – 11 hours ago

UNITED NATIONS — The head of UNICEF warned Tuesday that people may still be trying to smuggle children out of Haiti and said protecting youngsters who survived the earthquake is the top concern of the U.N. children's agency.

Ann Veneman said in an interview with The Associated Press that UNICEF is starting a program to identify children who lost or can't find their parents. The group is also working with other groups to put children who are alone into facilities where they can receive food, water and psychological help, she said.

"This is a children's emergency," she said.