Failed adoption agency had little oversight, jurors told

By Brian Caldwell

KITCHENER — There was almost no financial oversight of an international adoption agency that collapsed amid scandal five years ago, jurors at a fraud trial heard Monday.

Chris Hughes, a founding board member at Imagine Adoption, testified directors had a largely "visionary" role as the Christian organization rapidly grew to include hundreds of clients.

That meant the board of directors, a legal requirement for a non-profit, had no involvement in hiring or firing, setting salaries or approving day-to-day expenditures.

Nepal Children's Organization -- former head of NCO/Bal Mandir adoptions arrested for child rape.

Kathmandu Post:

Two held on rape charge

KATHMANDU: Two suspects have been arrested behind alleged rape of three young girls living in a public orphanage, Nepal Children’s Organisation, popularly known as Balmandir. Police arrested Rabin Shrestha, a former employee of Balmandir, and Rabin Chalise, the current president of Balmandir Club, following the complaints of rape and sexual abuse at the orphanage lodged by Action for Child Rights International-Nepal. (PR)

Posted on: 2014-06-21 08:54

Alert: Guidance on Processing of Emergency Adoption Cases during Ghana’s Suspension

On April 30, 2013, the Government of Ghana suspended processing of all adoption cases, including intercountry adoptions, pending Ghana’s review of its current adoption procedures. This alert provides additional information on how the Ghanaian Department of Social Welfare (DSW) is implementing the suspension and how the suspension impacts processing of related Forms I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative.

Cases Subject to the Suspension

All adoption cases that received final approval by the Ghanaian Department of Social Welfare (DSW) or were filed with a court before April 30, 2013, are not subject to this suspension.

For cases filed with a court on or after April 30, 2013, only emergency cases may proceed to final adoption in Ghana. Emergency cases include children who have special needs or medical conditions, children who could “age out” of adoption eligibility, and children adopted by biological relatives. These emergency cases must be submitted to the Acting Director of DSW for approval before being submitted to a Ghanaian court.

Gender Ministry to centralise child adoption

June 24, 2014 | Filed under: Latest news | Posted by: VibeGhana

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) has suspended child adoption to enable it to deal with challenges associated with the adoption process in the country.

The initiative is also to protect adopted children and their foster parents.

In view of that, the Ministry has commenced a review of the adoption processes to establish a Central Adoption Authority in line with mandated international regulation and obligations.

Police Arrest Suspected Child Traffickers in Kumasi

3 June 2014 , By Ernest Best Anane, Source: Ghanaian Chronicle

The Ashanti Regional Police Anti-Human Trafficking Unit has arrested a 44-year-old woman, Cecilia Annor, at Ayefro, and two of her accomplices in connection with a baby boy suspected to have been stolen. Briefing the media, ASP Regina Eleanor Mintah, in-charge of Anti-Human Traffic Unit, explained that the police gathered intelligence to the effect that Ms. Cecilia Annor had a baby in her custody, but was not the mother.

The suspect resides at Abuakwa and sells at the Kumasi Polytechnic. According to her, the suspect confessed to the police as having collected the baby from one Comfort Adjei-Kyem, 54, at the Kumasi Children's Home. She said Cecilia Annor mentioned a maternity home at new Suame as where the baby was collected from, and when the police followed up to new Suame, Madam

Grace Osei Afriyie, 59, owner of the Ayiwaah maternity home, who was also mentioned by the suspect, were arrested together with Comfort Adjei-Kyem, and have been cautioned to that effect. ASP Regina Mintah disclosed that Cecilia Annor went to the Kumasi Children's Home for adoption, and met suspect Comfort Adjei-Kyem, who is a typist at the home, and collected an amount of GH¢500 for the adoption forms.

Georgian Patriarch Says Surrogate Children 'Problematic'

By RFE/RL's Georgian Service

January 07, 2014

TBILISI -- In his Christmas address to the nation, Georgia's Orthodox Patriarch Ilia II said that children born by surrogate mothers or through artificial insemination will be "problematic" in their adulthood.

He also said that families with such children cannot be happy.

Civil society representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova will participate in a study visit in Romania

Posted on June 16, 2014

Photography credits: Silviu Ghetie

The project “Together for Children: Stronger NGO Coalitions in the Black Sea Region” is continuing its mission to support cooperation among civil society networks in order to enhance their capacity to advocate for child protection reforms at the national, regional and international level.

As part of this initiative, NGO coalition representatives and state officials from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova will be in Bucharest between 23-27 June on a study visit. They will have the occasion to get acquainted with Romania’s experience with child protection reforms, meeting representatives of local and international NGOs as well as government officials engaged in child care.

Foster care coming to India, law in the works

Moushumi Das Gupta, Hindustan Times New Delhi, June 22, 2014

First Published: 00:36 IST(22/6/2014) | Last Updated: 00:42 IST(22/6/2014)

Facing reports of rising child abuse across orphanages and children homes countrywide, the government is framing comprehensive rules for providing foster care services in India.

The woman and child development (WCD) ministry is coming up with regulations to place children under foster care for short or extended periods of time. The move follows a push by WCD minister Maneka Gandhi, who believes foster care can provide effective family-based support for needy children.

PM responds to over 10,000 signatures on the cause of adoption

‘Catalysts for Social Action’s petition to the Honorable Prime Minister of India, meets with success

Mumbai, 16th November 2009: Catalysts for Social Action (CSA), a social welfare organization dedicated to the cause of adoption and child welfare, announced the success of the petition signature campaign to the Honorable Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh. Mrs. Bharati Dasgupta, Managing Trustee, and Mr. Brajesh Misra, Member, CSA, got an audience with the Prime Minister on the basis of nearly 10,000 petition signatures garnered by CSA from across the nation.

The petition led by CSA, focused on the state of adoption in the country. Highlighting the various issues like lack of inter-agency coordination, restrictive processes, red tapism, poor social acceptance, illegal practices and misconceptions about the process itself, the petition placed the following requests:

ä To set up a task force headed by a Member of the Planning Commission to study the entire issue around adoption and foster care and come up with a holistic revamp of policy and laws.

The missing page in the Association Agreements

by MIRELA OPREA AND GIORGI COMAL | Jun 22, 2014

Why was child protection left out the EU’s agreement with Georgia? the authors ask.

On June 27, Georgia and Moldova will sign in Brussels the Association Agreements with the European Union that were initialed last year in Vilnius (Ukraine’s new authorities are expected to sign only the economic part of the Agreements on the same day).

After a high level meeting that took place last month between president of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, both sides officially welcomed “the finalization of the Association Agenda as a set of jointly agreed priorities for the period 2014-2016 that will help prepare Georgia for the successful implementation of the Agreement.”