Council of Ministers approves draft law to legalise, regulate international adoptions

TUESDAY, 11 AUGUST 2009 15:01 VONG SOKHENG

Photo by: Sovan Philong

Children at the Light House Orphanage watch television on Monday. The Council of Ministers has approved a draft law that would legalise international adoptions.

WORKING WITH ORPHANS

Authorities return Ukrainian sisters to program

Explore Park developer Larry Vander Maten said he had agreed to adopt the three orphans or change their visa status.

By Jorge Valencia

981-3340

A custody dispute involving Explore Park developer Larry Vander Maten and three Ukrainian sisters intensified Thursday afternoon when authorities removed the children from the builder's Florida mansion.

Elton John says wants to adopt Ukrainian baby Sat Sep 12, 2009 12:23pm EDT Email | Print | Share | Reprints | Single Page [-] Text [+] 1 of 3Full Size Featured Broker sponsored link DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - British singer Elton John, visiting Ukraine with his AIDS charity foundation, said on Saturday he wanted to adopt a 14-month-old boy from an orphanage in the east of the country. Ukraine has the fastest rising HIV rates in Europe. Two years ago the singer gave a free concert on the main square in Kiev attended by tens of thousands people to raise awareness of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS. Elton John's AIDS Foundation collaborates with the Ukrainian Anti-AIDS Foundation of Olena Franchuk, daughter of former President Leonid Kuchma. He performed 'Circle of Life' for children at the orphanage -- some there because their parents had died of AIDS. Later he and partner David Furnish, who had a 14-month boy called Lev on his knee, were asked whether they thought of adopting. "David and I have always talked about adoption," Elton John replied. "David always wanted to adopt a child and I always said 'no' because I am 62 and I think because of the traveling I do and the life I have, maybe it wouldn't be fair for the child." "But having seen Lev today, I would love to adopt him. I don't know how we do that but he has stolen my heart. And he has stolen David's heart and it would be wonderful if we can have a home. I've changed my mind today," he said. John said the death of his long-term keyboardist, Guy Babylon, had also helped change his mind. "Last week I lost one of my best friends ... It broke my heart because he was such a genius and so young and has two wonderful children. What better opportunity to replace someone I lost than to replace him with someone I can give a future to." (Reporting by Sergei Karazy; writing by Sabina Zawadzki)

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wachten op intake

10-8-2009

Vanmorgen even met St. Afrika gebeld. Ze zijn vandaag terug van vakantie dus ik dacht dat het wel moeizaam zou zijn om ze te pakken te krijgen... niets was minder waar. Er werd opgenomen na 1x overgaan, dus ik had meteen ook de juiste persoon te pakken.

We hebben in het verleden doorgegeven dat we rustig aan willen doen.. dat is inmiddels veranderd, we willen gewoon door. We hebben geen haast maar de rem hoeft er ook niet meer op.

Er werd verteld wat we al wisten.. het gaat allemaal moeizaam in Kenia. Daardoor mogen er nog geen nieuwe dossiers opgestuurd worden naar Kenia. We zullen dus nog even moeten wachten met de intake. We staan als 6e op de wachtlijst en zoals het er nu voor staat hopen we dat we in oktober aan de beurt zullen zijn voor de intake. We gaan het meemaken.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2009/08/09/2003450714

Criminal Investigation Bureau busts smugglers

STAFF WRITER
Sunday, Aug 09, 2009, Page 3

The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) yesterday said it had broken up a human-trafficking ring that used the passports of Taiwanese Aboriginal children to smuggle Chinese minors into France.

In June, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) made a similar breakthrough involving another group that used the same method to traffic Chinese youths to the US.

The CIB yesterday said it received a tip that a man surnamed Liao (?) and the criminal group he headed had successfully smuggled Chinese minors to the US several times.

After the US strengthened its visa application policy last month by requiring that all persons under the age of 14 go to the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) for a face-to-face visa interview, the group shifted its operations to France, the bureau said.

The CIB said the traffickers would pay anywhere between NT$5,000 to NT$10,000 for the personal information of Aboriginal children in Hualien and would then use the documents to apply for authentic Republic of China (ROC) passports and foreign visas.

Currently, the Bureau of Consular Affairs does not require people to apply for a passport in person.

After obtaining an ROC passport and a visa to a third country, the traffickers would bring the travel documents to Hong Kong to meet up with Chinese counterparts who brought minors from China. Together, the children and their escorts would fly to either the US, France, Mexico or other countries from Hong Kong using the passports.

The CIB said the crime syndicates had bought the personal information of 45 Aboriginal children and trafficked 37 Chinese minors to the US and other countries.

The crime ring earns US$70,000 for each child it smuggles. The CIB estimated that Liao’s group had made a profit of more than NT$80 million (US$2.4 million).

Together with Hualien police, the CIB arrested members of the group at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Thursday. Police also found the members had a large quantity of fraudulent passports and counterfeit NIA immigration custom stamps.

The 2009 annual Trafficking in Persons report published in June by the US Department of Homeland Security said that Taiwan remained a Tier 2 country.

Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan all received the same ranking, while China has stayed on the Tier 2 watch list for five years running.

Children and institutions

Fri, Aug 07 2009 09:47 CETbyLaura Parker1418 Views2 CommentsSir,

For many years, The Sofia Echo has given extensive coverage to the difficulties faced by children living in institutions, the majority of whom come from the most marginalised parts of the Roma community and/or have disabilities (or have been mistakenly diagnosed as such). Many of your readers have given generously of their time and money to try and help improve the opportunities of these vulnerable groups.

Now, more than ever, as Bulgaria faces a continuing economic crisis, the poor and disadvantaged here desperately need a progressive Government that will actively promote social inclusion, ensure that all Bulgarian children receive a good education and work to shut down the damaging institutional system.

However, in a clear signal that education and social policy are low-priority issues for the new Government, GERB has decided that two committees in the new Parliament – those responsible for education and social affairs - need not be chaired by GERB MPs, or even representatives of the Blue Coalition or other parties more politically aligned with GERB. These influential committees play a critical role in the drafting and approval of new legislation and policy.

It is a matter of considerable concern that the Parliament’s Education Committee is now to be chaired by somebody from Ataka. It is well known that the high number of school drop-outs in the Roma community is closely linked to the number of children in institutional care, as well as higher rates of unemployment and imprisonment in later life. Ataka’s policies run absolutely counter to the need to engage in a positive way with the Roma community and increase the participation of Roma children in mainstream education.

No less worrying is the decision that Mrs Maslarova, until recently the Minister of Labour and Social Policy, will chair the Parliament’s Social Committee. Mrs Maslarova has a very poor track record in the social policy area, in particular in relation to disability issues and the reform of institutions for children. Very little progress has been made on either of these issues during the last four years. Despite international outrage at the situation of children in institutions, she has refused to either support their closure or introduce measures designed to reduce the number of children placed in institutional care. During her time in Government, Mrs Maslarova focussed instead on purely populist measures – such as sending pensioners on holiday to the seaside.

The influence of Ataka and former minister Maslarova on education and social policy will almost certainly further set back reforms and do nothing to bring Bulgaria into line with good practice elsewhere in Europe, which GERB claims lies at the heart of its approach to government.

This is not the change that, I believe, many Bulgarians voted for and is a betrayal of the faith that has been put in the new Government. Worse, it represents a betrayal of yet more disadvantaged Bulgarian children who may not be able to vote but surely deserve a better deal.

Yours faithfully,
Laura Parker
Managing Director
ARK Bulgaria
(UK children’s charity)

Program Gives Older Orphans A Five-Week Taste of Family

By Joshua Garner

Gazette Staff Writer

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Kelly and Stacey O'Donnell had always dreamed of being parents.

L’espoir des enfants congolais

CHANTAL GODARD Publié le jeudi 06 août 2009 à 00h00 - Mis à jour le jeudi 06 août 2009 à 00h00

NAMUR-LUXEMBOURG

Tumaini signifie "espérer" en swahili. C’est la dénomination choisie par Julienne Mpemba, Géraldine Mathieu et Rufin Makoso pour leur ASBL - créée en juillet 2008 - qui propose d’aider les enfants de la République Démocratique du Congo à poursuivre leur scolarité malgré les difficultés financières de leurs parents. Julienne a vécu le système scolaire au Congo. "L’Etat ne subsidie plus les écoles, ce sont les parents qui doivent participer financièrement à la scolarité de leurs enfants et les enfants sont renvoyés de l’école lorsqu’ils ne payent pas le minerval de 50 ou 60 dollars. Cela a pour conséquence le décrochage ou le retard scolaire."

Car au Congo, les enfants traînent dans les rues des villes. En province, ils travaillent pour presque rien. Souvent toute une journée pour un petit pain. Ils font les domestiques, portent de lourdes charges etc.

Jahrelanger Adoptionsstopp aus Rumänien führt zu Widerrufen der Zulassungen für Vermittlungsstellen 05.08.2009 Der Kommunalverband für Jugend und Soziales Baden-Württemberg hat die Zulassungen für die Adoptionsvermittlungsstellen "Eltern-Kind-Brücke e.V" und "Zukunft für Kinder e.V.", und die GZA Rheinland-Pfalz/Hessen für "familie international frankfurt e.V.“ für Vermittlungen aus Rumänien widerrufen. Veröffentlichung des Kommunalverbandes für Jugend und Soziales Baden-Württemberg vom 4.August 09: Mit Bescheid vom 16. Juni 2009 hat der Kommunalverband für Jugend und Soziales Baden-Württemberg gegenüber den Auslandsvermittlungsstellen „Eltern-Kind-Brücke e.V.“ und „Zukunft für Kinder e.V.“ die besondere Zulassung zur Auslandsadoptionsvermittlung aus Rumänien widerrufen. Die Widerrufsbescheide sind bestandskräftig. Veröffentlichung der GZA Rheinland-Pfalz/Hessen am 23. Juli 2009 Mit Bescheid vom 26. Juni 2009 hat die Gemeinsame Zentrale Adoptionsstelle der Länder Rheinland-Pfalz und Hessen der Auslandsvermittlungsstelle „familie international frankfurt e.V.“ die besondere Zulassung zur Auslandsadoptionsvermittlung aus Rumänien widerrufen. In Rumänien bestehe seit Jahren ein Adoptionsstopp. Es stehe nicht zu erwarten, dass in Zukunft der Adoptionsverkehr mit Rumänien wieder eröffnet werden könne. Der Grund der Zulassung sei damit weggefallen, weshalb die Zulassung zu widerrufen sei.

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