Parliamentary questions

4 March 2010

E-1084/10

WRITTEN QUESTION by Cristiana Muscardini (PPE) to the Commission

Subject: Abandoned children in Romania

`Forgeries and lies' in Australian adoptions of Ethiopian children - Rory Callinan - From: The Australian - March 03, 2010 12:00AM - *A SECRET government investigation uncovered major flaws in Ethiopian adoptions to Australia, with some children falsely represented as being abandoned, not having siblings and being healthy despite having serious illnesses. * Others were found to be years older than what was listed on their official documents while some adoptions were processed using a forged Ethiopian Foreign Office seal, according to an interim report into Australia's and Ethiopia's bilateral intercountry adoption program, which was obtained by The Australian. *Email Rory Callinan if you know of other cases * The program, under which about 450 children have been adopted by Australians over the past 10 years, has been suspended while the federal government negotiates with Ethiopian officials over a push by the African nation for aid to be linked to adoptions. Canberra is concerned the move is "inconsistent with its obligations" under the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of Intercountry Adoption. The program's representative, Ethiopia-based Ato Lakew Gebeyehu, denied any impropriety in his operations or any knowledge of the report. The investigation was launched after a group of Victorian parents approached the state's Human Services Department to complain in 2005. Investigators reviewed 117 Ethiopian adoption files from 2002 to 2004 and found "issues of concern" in 44 cases. In 10 cases, wrong information about the history and circumstances of abandoned children was allegedly provided to Ethiopia's Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Previously unknown siblings were uncovered in nine cases and previously unknown relatives found in five cases after the adoptive families travelled to Ethiopia to do their own research. The report said such discoveries had left some families questioning "the integrity of the program and the process of children being placed for overseas adoption". It said evidence suggested the relinquishing family or community might have misrepresented the family situation to secure care for a child who could not be looked after for reasons such as extreme poverty. One of the most significant findings was that, in 25 cases, the recorded age of the child was wrong -- more than a year out in 11 cases -- "which had impacted on some children's socialisation and enrolment at school". In eight cases, the child's health problems were not properly recorded in the allocation documents. And limited information had been recorded about the child's overall development. The report recommended the program continue but be further investigated to ensure it complied with the Hague Convention. Mr Gebeyehu said he was aware a family from Victoria had raised concerns after a child was found to be older than thought but he was unaware of any investigation or negative finding about the program. Mr Gebeyehu said there had been only two or three cases in 20 years where ages were wrong. "We have no birth certificates," he said. He said cases where siblings had been found could occur but some were false claims. Mr Gebeyehu confirmed one of his employees had been using a forged seal but said the documents were replaced and the individual responsible was jailed.

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Couple on probation in Samoan adoption case adopt child

Placement dispute » Kansas couple also wanted the girl.

By Pamela Manson

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated: 03/03/2010 10:52:51 PM MST

Source: Sunilchandra Dal

Head: Adoptees seek to know their roots, for better or worse

Intro: Issue has once again sparked off debate

Blurb: City adoption agencies like Shreevatsa orphanage run by Sofosh and Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra are becoming open to adoptees' need to search for their roots. But reunion with the biological parents may not always be happy.
Bhagyashree Kulthe
The rare occasion of a 21-year-old adoptee from Sweden being reunited with her biological mother in Pune has once again sparked off a debate on one of the most emotive issues concerning adoption.
Clarinda Nilsson, who was adopted by a Swedish couple from the Shreevatsa orphanage run by Society of Friends of the Sassoon Hospital (Sofosh), came to Pune three years ago to meet her biological mother. Recently, she visited the city for the second time in three years to see her mother. The questions regarding her roots troubled her since school days. It was a happy reunion. Clarinda said she was at peace after meeting her mother.
Although the misconceptions attached to adoption are fading, the question whether the adoptees should know about their biological parents is still a debatable question.
But there is a shift in the opinion as the government policies on the issue have become more liberal and adoption agencies too are taking a different approach.
City adoption agencies like Shreevatsa orphanage run by Sofosh and Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK) are becoming open to the adoptees' need to search for their roots. But reunion with the biological parents may not always be happy.
The agencies are therefore gearing up for the challenges involved. Executive member of Sofosh Dipika Maharajsingh has noticed a change in the outlook in the last few years, but said there is still a long way to go. "There is a nagging anxiety among the adoptees about their past. This loss is not socially understood. We need to address this problem to help the child come to terms with the loss. However, in the Indian scenario this involves many challenges," said Maharajsingh.
Sofosh has been helping some adoptees, who came searching for their roots, to meet their biological parents in the last few years. They share information about the family with the adoptees after considering the implications.
Maharajsingh felt that adoptive parents in India are still secretive and stressed on the need for awareness to understand the adoptee's need and address it in a proper way. "The agencies too are still learning and studying the issue. We are helping the adoptive parents understand the child's need to know his or her past. The triad of adoptive family, adoptee and biological family has to be taken into confidence and counselled before the meeting," she said.
Though government policies were for secrecy about the adoptee's biological family and other details, they too have become liberal in the last few years, added Maharajsingh. "They let the adoption agencies decide if the meeting should be allowed because every case has to be handled individually," she stated.
BSSK too accepts the adoptee's right to know his or her past, but has been very cautious in its approach because it has many social and moral implications. Assistant director of BSSK Maina Shetty said, "We do not encourage the meeting, but we certainly recognise the adoptee's right to know his/her past. "We share information about their background if the adoptee expresses the wish to know. But providing all the details is not always possible or advisable. We do not have any case of the adoptee actually meeting the biological parent," said Shetty
BOX I
Each case is different
Expert on adoption issues and former executive director of Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra, Pune, Lata Joshi who founded Adoptees National Union for Joy (Anuj), said meeting the biological family should not be encouraged. She stressed on the need for counselling of adoptive parents and adoptees to tackle the issue.
"Meeting is alright in selected cases where the biological mother too is willing and the after-effects are considered, but not in general. This should be allowed only if the adoptee is adult and mature enough to understand the complexities," she said. But in most cases the mothers are unwilling to meet the child, observed Joshi. In such cases, the secrecy has to be respected and adoptee needs to be counselled, she said.
She stated that Indian adoptive families and those from other countries have a different approach and in the Indian scenario such cases have to be tackled sensitively.
A 34-year-old man who was adopted from a Pune agency went to court to seek information about his biological family, accusing the adoption agency of non-cooperation. The hearing of the case is on, she said, adding the law has to be sensitive while deciding such cases as it will have wide implications. It is best to let the adoption agency decide, as each case is individual, she felt.
BOX II
Sharing basic information helps
The adoptees do not always wish to meet the biological parents. Sometimes just sharing the details about birth and biological family with proper counselling is sufficient. The curiosity of some adoptees is satisfied with information like name of the mother and home place. "Some adoptees just want to visit the orphanage and meet the people they were brought up by," said Maina Shetty from BSSK. Lata Joshi of Anuj too opined that if he or she is given basic information and counselled properly, that will help. "Bringing about the reunion should be the last option," she felt.
BOX III
In search of a mother
Rani, who was adopted from an agency in Pune by a Norwegian couple, came to Anuj recently to seek help to locate her biological mother. Rani said, "I want to see my mother. After some sessions at Anuj, I understand the consequences and am prepared for it. I think the adoption agencies need to be more receptive and help us out," she said.

Adoption watchdog suppresses Ethiopia findings By Mary Ann Jolley for Foreign Correspondent Updated Tue Mar 2, 2010 12:42pm AEDT One of Katie Bradshaw's adopted children was told by the adoption agency that she was going to the US on a study trip. (Supplied) RELATED LINK: Foreign Correspondent: Fly Away Children A powerful international adoption overseer is refusing to release the results of its inquiry into the disturbing activities of American adoption agencies operating in Ethiopia. The inquiry was launched after ABC TV's Foreign Correspondent exposed deep and dangerous flaws in the system. The Joint Council of International Children's Services (JCICS) says it has completed its probe, but to release its conclusions would not be "appropriate". Foreign Correspondent's story last year exposed a dysfunctional, largely unregulated adoption industry in Ethiopia, where children were being harvested from families, and mothers claimed they were tricked into surrendering their children. Tonight's story unearths more disturbing developments: children wrongly portrayed as orphans and children pitched to adoptive families as being as young as seven when in fact they are teenagers. Ethiopia has not signed the Hague Convention on inter-country adoption, but hosts many adoption agencies boasting Hague credentials and claiming high standards of practice. Prominent adoption reform advocate Maureen Flatley claims JCICS is stacked with adoption agency figures and does a poor job of self-regulating. "We've really let the fox guard the henhouse," she said. "They are the 'big tobacco' of adoption. They are a trade association that nominally espouses the highest standards but which is harbouring the very people who have been involved in some of the biggest abuses in adoption - and they haven't laid a hand on them. "The JCICS has one goal and one goal only, and that is to avoid federal regulation of adoption. "Here is one of the biggest pieces of hypocrisy in adoption. If they're Hague-accredited, why are they doing business with a country that isn't a Hague signer? "The answer is that they know they have much more freedom to do whatever they want to do and to bully people in countries that aren't Hague signatories." Last year's Foreign Correspondent program focused on the activities of Christian World Adoption (CWA), one of the largest US agencies operating in Ethiopia. It featured video of a CWA representative asking families in one southern village if they wanted to surrender their children. The program also showed the plight of CWA client Lisa Boe, who adopted a "healthy" boy who arrived with a litany of serious health problems. Ms Boe spoke out and is now being sued by CWA. The agency repeatedly refused to comment before it finally allowed lawyer Curtis Bostic to be interviewed. "A half a million children in Ethiopia will sleep on the street. By sunset tonight 500 will die from starvation," Mr Bostic said. "There are children today who need what caring American and Australian families can bring them. "What Lisa Boe did was make a series of exaggerations and misrepresentations that has slowed and, in some cases, halted that process." Tonight Foreign Correspondent exposes more cases, including that of Journee Bradshaw, who claims CWA told her she was heading off on a study trip to the US, only to learn after her arrival that she would not be returning to Ethiopia. "I didn't know that I'm going to stay here," she said. "They never told me that I'm going to have a family I'm going to stay with and I'm supposed to be their daughter. They never told me that. I just find out when I got here." "You can't imagine the depth of her pain," said Katie Bradshaw, Journee's American adoptive mother. "No-one will understand the damage. It was as if someone had ripped the soul out of her body and just left her. It was absolutely unbelievable." -Watch tonight's program on ABC1 at 8:00pm. Contribute your stories to a special Foreign Correspondent/ABC News Online Investigative Unit special. Contact us and tell us your experiences of international adoptions in Australia.

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Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Holiday Project Feeding Program in Arsi, Ethiopia

Thanks to the wonderful response to the AAI Holiday Project fundraising effort this year, we have begun a feeding project in a small town in rural Ethiopia, about 200 kilometers from Addis Ababa. The town was chosen both because of the need and because we knew of a partner organization, the Bethezasa Children's Association, that we felt confident could run and administer a quality program with the funds provided by the AAI office in Addis. AAI staff member Ivy Dash recently had the chance to visit the program and meet the students benefiting. Her report is below and we should be able to provide more photos very soon.

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The feeding center sponsored by AAI has been set up at an orphanage called Bethzata Children's Home in Arsi run by a gentleman named Sammy (I don't know his 2nd name). The first boy to show up was about 10 or 11 yrs old with great big beautiful eyes. Then, one by one, the pre-teens and teens started to file in. It was a weekday so they were coming from school in their uniforms. Most of their uniforms were tattered and faded and dirty but they were proud to wear them and proud to be in school.

Nepal's stolen children point to flawed system

By Claire Cozens (AFP) – 17 hours ago

KATHMANDU — Rajan Kumar Nepali did not know he was giving up his two young children when he put his thumbprint on a document handing custody to an orphanage in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu.

The owners of the children's home had promised to take care of his son and daughter while the 28-year-old labourer, who cannot read or write, tried to get his life back on track after he became addicted to drugs.

Instead, the children were put up for adoption abroad -- a highly lucrative business in impoverished Nepal, where campaigners say orphanages can make up to 10,000 dollars from each child.

Data: 02-03-10

Lettonia: stop alle adozioni internazionali, ma non per i bimbi special needs

La Lettonia non accetterà più, fino al dicembre 2012, nuove richieste di adozioni internazionali. Lo ha comunicato il Ministero del Welfare lettone in una nota ufficiale indirizzata agli enti stranieri accreditati a operare con le adozioni internazionali nel Paese.

Lo stop della Lettonia prevede però un’eccezione. Saranno accettate le domande delle coppie straniere disponibili ad accogliere bambini “special needs”, ovvero con bisogni speciali: bambini con più di due fratelli, affetti da problemi di salute o disagi mentali, con più di nove anni di età. In questo caso le autorità locali lavoreranno con gli enti stranieri per favorire la loro adozione.

La decisione del Ministero del Welfare nasce dalla volontà di promuovere l’adozione nazionale e garantire una mamma e un papà a quei bambini che con difficoltà trovano una famiglia nel loro Paese di origine.

Fly Away Home

Broadcast: 02/03/2010

Reporter: Mary Ann Jolley

Some children arrived in the United States believing they were only visiting.

Last year Foreign Correspondent exposed deep flaws and appalling practices in the international adoption industry operating in Ethiopia and the United States. Our story Fly Away Children generated a massive viewer response, triggered an industry investigation in the US and propelled the American media to probe the system. CBS News recently broadcast an investigation into the activities of an American adoption agency at the centre of Fly Away Children.

Adoption watchdog suppresses Ethiopia findings
By Mary Ann Jolley for Foreign Correspondent

Updated Tue Mar 2, 2010 12:42pm AEDT


One of Katie Bradshaw's adopted children was told by the adoption agency that she was going to the US on a study trip. (Supplied)

RELATED LINK: Foreign Correspondent: Fly Away Children
A powerful international adoption overseer is refusing to release the results of its inquiry into the disturbing activities of American adoption agencies operating in Ethiopia.

The inquiry was launched after ABC TV's Foreign Correspondent exposed deep and dangerous flaws in the system.

The Joint Council of International Children's Services (JCICS) says it has completed its probe, but to release its conclusions would not be "appropriate".

Foreign Correspondent's story last year exposed a dysfunctional, largely unregulated adoption industry in Ethiopia, where children were being harvested from families, and mothers claimed they were tricked into surrendering their children.

Tonight's story unearths more disturbing developments: children wrongly portrayed as orphans and children pitched to adoptive families as being as young as seven when in fact they are teenagers.

Ethiopia has not signed the Hague Convention on inter-country adoption, but hosts many adoption agencies boasting Hague credentials and claiming high standards of practice.

Prominent adoption reform advocate Maureen Flatley claims JCICS is stacked with adoption agency figures and does a poor job of self-regulating.

"We've really let the fox guard the henhouse," she said.

"They are the 'big tobacco' of adoption. They are a trade association that nominally espouses the highest standards but which is harbouring the very people who have been involved in some of the biggest abuses in adoption - and they haven't laid a hand on them.

"The JCICS has one goal and one goal only, and that is to avoid federal regulation of adoption.

"Here is one of the biggest pieces of hypocrisy in adoption. If they're Hague-accredited, why are they doing business with a country that isn't a Hague signer?

"The answer is that they know they have much more freedom to do whatever they want to do and to bully people in countries that aren't Hague signatories."

Last year's Foreign Correspondent program focused on the activities of Christian World Adoption (CWA), one of the largest US agencies operating in Ethiopia.

It featured video of a CWA representative asking families in one southern village if they wanted to surrender their children.

The program also showed the plight of CWA client Lisa Boe, who adopted a "healthy" boy who arrived with a litany of serious health problems.

Ms Boe spoke out and is now being sued by CWA.

The agency repeatedly refused to comment before it finally allowed lawyer Curtis Bostic to be interviewed.

"A half a million children in Ethiopia will sleep on the street. By sunset tonight 500 will die from starvation," Mr Bostic said.

"There are children today who need what caring American and Australian families can bring them.

"What Lisa Boe did was make a series of exaggerations and misrepresentations that has slowed and, in some cases, halted that process."

Tonight Foreign Correspondent exposes more cases, including that of Journee Bradshaw, who claims CWA told her she was heading off on a study trip to the US, only to learn after her arrival that she would not be returning to Ethiopia.

"I didn't know that I'm going to stay here," she said.

"They never told me that I'm going to have a family I'm going to stay with and I'm supposed to be their daughter. They never told me that. I just find out when I got here."

"You can't imagine the depth of her pain," said Katie Bradshaw, Journee's American adoptive mother.

"No-one will understand the damage. It was as if someone had ripped the soul out of her body and just left her. It was absolutely unbelievable."

-Watch tonight's program on ABC1 at 8:00pm. Contribute your stories to a special Foreign Correspondent/ABC News Online Investigative Unit special. Contact us and tell us your experiences of international adoptions in Australia.