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Nepal's Adoption System Unreliable: US

KIRAN CHAPAGAIN

KATHMANDU, Feb 23: The United States has accused Nepal´s inter-country adoption of being unreliable and cautioned prospective adoptive US parents to find out orphan status of the minors before taking any decision on adoption from Nepal.

"We caution prospective adoptive parents who have yet to choose a country that the inter-country adoption system in Nepal is not yet reliable," said the US State Department in a notice last week.

The US allegation comes after the finding of US Embassy in Kathmandu which found that a child set for adoption was not a true orphan and its biological parents were actively searching for it.

Countries: Nepal, United States of America

23 on trial in China's biggest baby-selling case

By Jane Chen | 2010-3-4 | ONLINE EDITION

TWENTY-THREE members of a family-run gang are on trial for their alleged involvement in China's biggest baby-trafficking case.

The gang had allegedly trafficked 49 children in four years and most of the victims have not yet found their parents after rescue by police, today's Shanghai Morning Post reported.

Wuhan railway police in central China are still trying to trace their parents, the report said. The gang was tried yesterday in Wuhan Railway Intermediate People's Court.

Countries: China

African Governments urged to adopt Hague Conventions on Children

23-02-2010

PRESS RELEASE

AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS URGED TO ADOPT

HAGUE CONVENTIONS ON CHILDREN

Organizations: Hague Convention on Protection of Children and International Cooperation in respect of Intercountry Adoption (1993)

Former President Bill Clinton on Haiti, Orphans, & Adoption

2010 FEBRUARY 22

by Jason Kovacs

The following is a transcript of Fox News’ Major Garrett’s interview with former President William Clinton:

GARRETT: Speaking of children who survived, what do you make of the orphan situation involving the folks here in the United States. There was confusion — is that a way for Americans to help? Is that something that you advise? What’s you take on that whole situation, because it obviously touched the hearts of a lot of Americans?

Countries: United States of America, Haiti

Persons: Bill Clinton

Ethiopia: The Hand That Rocks the Broken Cradle (Part II)

02/22/10

01:41:57 am, by nazret.com, 2000 words, 1174 views

Categories: Ethiopia, Alemayehu G. Mariam

Ethiopia: The Hand That Rocks the Broken Cradle (Part II)

Countries: Ethiopia

Viewing cable 10CAIRO344, ILLEGAL ADOPTIONS IN EGYPT

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

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

Countries: United States of America, Egypt

Organizations: Wikileaks

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

Countries: Haiti, United States of America

Organizations: Bresma, Haiti

'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

Countries: Nigeria, United Kingdom

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!

Organizations: God's Littlest Angels (Haiti, orphanage), Bresma, Haiti

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

Friday, February 19, 2010

Friday update from the Hams! (Read Thursday's first!)

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

Countries: Ethiopia

Organizations: Bethany Christian Services, Tikuret orphanage