E-Mail Exchange: Mia, Anand and Ian- Potential contribution

23 March 2015

--------- Forwarded message ---------

Van: UAI - Anand Kaper

Date: ma 23 mrt. 2015 21:23

Subject: Re: Potential contribution

To: Mia Dambach

Cc: Ian Forber-Pratt

Dear Mia,

Thanks for your kind e-mail. Good to know Ian-Anand, who I met during a conference in Delhi, has been thinking about me, regarding your request.

As Indian adoptee, and board member of United Adoptees International Foundation?, I 'm aware of the social and political reasons in the adoption process.

My name is Anand Kaper, 38 years old. In 1976 I was born in Mumbai. In 1977 I have been adopted by a Dutch couple. Besides my day job (teacher) I’m secretary general of United Adoptees International (UAI).

UAI is an independent foundation based in the Netherlands. We focus on representing the needs and rights of adult adoptees worldwide. In the past few years we have initiated many projects involving the interests and rights of adoptees and presented issues about the complexity and consequences of “international adoption” in the long term for this group.

We have direct links with the Dutch Ministry of Security & Justice, the National Council of Child Welfare and several other Dutch authorities and organizations involved in the adoption process as such. UAI is founded in 2006 because:

* Media are allways referring to us as adopted children, but most of us aren't children anymore. We are adult adoptees, have our own families, and we want to be heared.

* We want to be seriously involved in the adoption debate.

In our foundation, we have been working on BFS (birth family search) for a long time. Since 3 years, I'm working on BFS in India, but as there is no cooperation and facilitation from CARA/Ministry of WCD and adoption agencies, this is very difficult task. We are in touch with CARA, but they say BFS has no priority for them.

Back to your request:

I would be honoured to contribute to the professional handbook.

What I could offer is the following:

- a personal testimony of my BFS and the information I found in India, based on my personal investigation. Of course this will be in conjuction with the legal framework (CARA guidelines/CRC).

- promising practise: I could write about the establishment of United Adoptees International Foundation, a independent NGO based in the Netherlands (as I have mentioned above).

Warm regards,

Anand Kaper

Vind je het belangrijk dat er een organisatie is die dit werk en belangen voor geadopteerden vertegenwoordigt?

UAI is een vrijwilligersorganisatie die alleen kan bestaan door uw bijdrage! Steun ons en word actief binnen de stichting of word donateur - NL54 RABO 0118 6545 27

www.facebook.com/UnitedAdopteesInternational

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2015-03-19 15:32 GMT+01:00 Mia Dambach :

Dear Anand Bhai

Nice to meet you virtually. As Ian mentioned, ISS (http://www.iss-ssi.org/index.php/en/what-we-do-en/international-reference-center) has a special research division based in Geneva promoting ethical adoptions and protection of children in need of alternative care. We work closely with the Permanent Bureau at the Hague and different UNICEF country offices, as well governments and civil society. We are now in the process of launching a project - a professional handbook on potential responses to illegal adoptions (see attached concept note). In particular, I was wondering whether based on your adoption reunion work, you would know someone who would be willing either to contribute by way of a:

- Personal testimony on the effects of discovering an illegal adoption (1 to 2 pages)

- Promising practice on how to address such a discovery (e.g.: legal, psychological, social or political) (3 to 5 pages)

- Any other idea that would fit into the draft table of contents

I understand that you must be very busy - however I do believe that a professional handbook to handle such cases with promising practices would be worthy of your time and be a great resource to adoption practitioners.

Our aim is to have a first draft of all the various contributions by 1 September.

Warmest regards

Mia Dambach

Coordinator – Advocacy and Policy Development

International Social Service (ISS) - General Secretariat

Quai du Seujet 32 - 1201 Geneva – Switzerland

Tel.: + 41 22 906 77 00

Fax: + 41 22 906 77 01

E-mail: mia.dambach@iss-ssi.org

Website: www.iss-ssi.org

Protecting children and uniting families across borders since 90 years!

Protéger les enfants et réunir les familles au-delà des frontières depuis 90 ans !

Proteger a los niños y reunir a las familias más allá de las fronteras desde 90 años !

De : ianforberpratt@gmail.com [mailto:ianforberpratt@gmail.com] De la part de Ian Forber-Pratt

Envoyé : jeudi 19 mars 2015 15:11

À : Anand Kaper; Mia Dambach

Objet : Fwd: Potential contribution

Dear Anand Bhai,

I hope this email finds you doing well. Please allow me to introduce you to Mia Dambach. Mia, please meet Anand Kaper.

Anand, after reading Mia's email below (which I've edited and omitted the attachment until Mia can send it from her side) I immediately thought of you. Please read it through and if you are interesting/ in the position to contribute please write back to both of us as soon as possible. No promises about what will unfold, but it can't help to begin conversation.

Kind regards and huge huge respect to you both!

Ian Anand

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Mia Dambach

Date: Thu, Mar 19, 2015 at 1:44 AM

Subject: Potential contribution

To: "Ian Forber-Pratt (iananand@fostercareindia.org)" , "Ian Forber-Pratt (ianforberpratt@gmail.com)"

Dear Ian

Hope this email finds you well. I am contacting you as ISS is launching a new project - a professional handbook on potential responses to illegal adoptions (see attached concept note). In particular, I was wondering whether you would know someone from India or in your adoption reunion work who would be willing either to contribute by way of a:

- Personal testimony on the effects of discovering an illegal adoption (1 to 2 pages)

- Promising practice on how to address such a discovery (e.g.: legal, psychological, social or political) (3 to 5 pages)

- Any other idea that would fit into the draft table of contents

I understand that you must be very busy - however I do believe that a professional handbook to handle such cases with promising practices would be worthy of your time and be a great resource to adoption practitioners.

Our aim is to have a first draft of all the various contributions by 1 September.

Warmest regards

Mia Dambach

Coordinator - Advocacy and Policy Development

International Social Service (ISS) - General Secretariat

Quai du Seujet 32 - 1201 Geneva - Switzerland

Tel.: + 41 22 906 77 00

Fax: + 41 22 906 77 01

E-mail: mia.dambach@iss-ssi.org

Website: www.iss-ssi.org<http://www.iss-ssi.org>

Protecting children and uniting families across borders since 90 years!

Protéger les enfants et réunir les familles au-delà des frontières depuis 90 ans !

Proteger a los niños y reunir a las familias más allá de las fronteras desde 90 años !

--

?????? ???? ??????: ??????, ?? ????? ?? ??????

Foster Care India: Every Child's Right to Family

Please visit us at www.fostercareindia.org.

Met vriendelijke groet | Kind regards | Cordialement | Mit freundlichen Grüssen | Cordialemente | Con cordial saludo,

Anand Kaper | ????? ????

Secretary General UAI | South Asia and Internal Affairs

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