Fwd: Request for inquiry into ISS Australia [SEC=OFFICIAL]

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

From: ICAPrograms

Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2019 at 11:22 PM

Subject: RE: Request for inquiry into ISS Australia [SEC=OFFICIAL]

To: info@againstchildtrafficking.org

Cc: MANING, Jo

Dear Arun,

Thank you for contacting the Department of Social Services (DSS) regarding your concerns about intercountry adoption tracing services delivered by International Social Service (ISS) Australia in India.

DSS provided ISS Australia with non-ongoing funding over two years to establish the Intercountry Adoption Tracing and Reunification Service (ICATRS) in 2016-17 and 2017-18. This grant was developed in response to requests from advocacy groups for DSS to explore tracing services. ISS Australia was encouraged to develop strategies for longer-term sustainability beyond the initial one-off DSS funding support. DSS funding concluded on 30 June 2018.

Under ICATRS, ISS Australia provided free search and reunion related services to intercountry adoptees and adoptive parents. Services included information, support and counselling to adoptees and families during the tracing and reunification process, as well as actually tracing birth families overseas.

ISS Australia utilised the resources of the ISS international network in the delivery of ICATRS. Decisions related to the qualifications and skills of staff involved in the delivery of these services were the responsibility of ISS Australia as the grant recipient.

DSS continues to support families engaged in intercountry adoption, through the Intercountry Adoption Family Support Service (ICAFSS), which provides free counselling, information and support for children, young people, adult adoptees, parents and families. This includes counselling support for adoptees who may be considering tracing their birth family or have begun on a journey towards reunification and the emotional effect this will have for them and their adoptive or extended family.

Regards,

Rowena Freeland

Intercountry Adoption Policy and Program Management

Community Cohesion

Department of Social Services

E: Rowena.Freeland@dss.gov.au

Acting Director Mon / Tue

Assistant Director Wed - Fri

The Department of Social Services acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to Elders both past and present.

From: ACT

Sent: Sunday, 8 December 2019 5:05 PM

To: ICAPrograms

Subject: Request for inquiry into ISS Australia

Dear Madam / Sir,

pursuant to my previous serious complaint about ISS Australia , I again request an in-depth inquiry into the functioning of the ICATRS project of ISS AUS, respectively into the part about searches from India as I obtained more information about it.

ISS obviously received the funding for the ability to locate families in India, not just some post adoption services.

It has now come clearly to my attention that, after we traced back Rupali´s mother in India, Sandi Petersen ( Rupali´s counsellor) requested Julia Rollings for another contact as an alternatively to us to assist with the reunion. ( on file)

Julia Rollings gave the contact details of Vidya Shankar and Shankar S.

It has to be explicitly noted that it was us/ myself, who actually obtained on behalf of Julia Rollings along with the on my recommendation appointed lawyer the for a search necessary identifying information.

The search itself was then conducted jointly by me and the Shankar family.

This was at all times known to Sandi Petersen.

As Rupali´s counsellor, Sandi Petersen also knew that our organisation traced Rupali´s mother. Of course this was equally known to Damon Martin from ISS.

The Reunion of Rupali was according to my information conducted then jointly by Mr. Shankar S , contracted by ISS as correspondent and Damon Martin himself, that funded by australian authorities.

Following this, ISS AUS received funding for searches in India. They contracted for this Mr. Shankar S.

This week I spoke to Mr. Shankar about it as now he is also correspondent for ISS Netherlands. He confirmed to me, that he has no experience how to conduct a search and locate a family of an adoptee.

He has also never solved one case, but would rather act as a tourist guide and provide emotional support. His qualification seems to be, that he is an adoptive parent. He doesn´t hold a social work degree nor is he a lawyer.

In conclusion:

ISS AUS was predictably not able to conduct a tracing service for adoptees in India for which they applied for funding and obtained it, while making Australian families and adoptees believe they can conduct free tracing services in India.

Further this was known to ISS and / or it´s staff from the very moment of even applying for the funding.

I expect from the department to take the appropriate steps and remind you of the fact, that one adoptee, Kushal Kurtze, whose family likewise was counselled by Sandi Petersen / ISS, committed Suicide in the course of these events.

This is serious fraud with taxpayers money and adoptees and adoptive families have been cheated and grossly mislead about the ability of ISS to trace families in India.

Certainly I will inform australian media about this as well.

Attached you find Shankar´s email to me about this.

Sincerely

Arun Dohle

www.againstchildtrafficking.org

From: Sudatta Parivar [mailto:sudattaparivar@gmail.com]

Sent: Samstag, 7. Dezember 2019 18:50

To: Info@againstchildtrafficking.org

Subject: Post Adoption Services

Dear Arun

It was a pleasure to receive your call that day. I have high regards for your work in the field of adoption these 20 years.

Please read this perhaps long mail as between one professional to another (not between acquaintances in the same field). When you called I had told you that only two-thirds I could understand and remaining is extrapolation. My son has my mobile all the time and I see WA only in the night. In case you want to say disagree / give additional info please send a mail until I fix my hearing-problem next month

My understanding has been that your area of activity is Prevention of Child Trafficking (which essentially is a pre-adoption work). Your mail address reinforces that. I am only into post-adoption services and hence (to use your blunt words) I do not compete with you. Just about two weeks ago I was contemplating reaching you to explore how we could work together. But after your msgs and calls everyday, I realize that you will rest only if I say I will keep off (from adoption-search?)

Please see SuDatta website (though not updated otherwise) where it is clearly mentioned that our Post Adoption Services addresses concerns of individual families providing essentially intellectual / emotional / psychological support (and not legal / financial). We contacted APA Australia (Julia & others) in 1994. In 1996 (Hoksbergen & others) from Netherlands came to India at their cost and conducted a residential 2-day workshop for us. These 25+ years, many such adoption-authors have come to India numerous times and taken bits of Indian culture to their respective countries (for adoptive families there). Each time there would be some family into 'search' too. Whenever I make a call to any Adoption-Agency, they become very defensive. Many have requested me to keep off. Many said that they would like to communicate only with adoptive families directly. Some said they do not encourage middle-men. One lady threatened that she will complain to CARA

I am an Indian Associate for ISS. There is no exclusivity and hence ISS might be having one (or many) more reps. Any (especially non-Indian) organization would have a Contract. While I am not allowed to share the Contract with anyone, I can assure you that the clauses are very general but indicating genuine intent. When ISS wanted Vidya to be their Associate, she requested me to take the (social) responsibility since she got tied up with her commercial venture (running schools). For more than a year my interactions with ISS is not much after I got a mail from them that the govt funding that they were receiving has stopped. Any adoptive-family, if they are interested would need to pay. Everyone dropped out

I have now understood that you want to settle scores with ISS. Please go ahead, but why target me? As you can see from the attached Profile, my core area is Preparation (of the adoptive families). I will be a senior citizen in a few months and would like to invest more time on Spirituality (please visit www.CentreForSpiritualBeings.In). If I keep off as indicated by you, ISS will have someone else in my place

____________________________________________________________________

SEEMINGLY OUT OF CONTEXT ... BUT NO

Vidya was my wife for almost 3 decades, but 4 years back she walked out of the house. If in a village, I would have informed the Panchayat, all villagers would have been ordered to slap Vidya asking her to get back home and keep the fight within. Even though she ditched the family I have been able to hold on to whatever is left in our (overall core & extended) family-unit

She said I am a psycho-case and bought medicines from a Psychiatrist. Even if I am one, will I take medicines bought by her? Her lawyer spoke to me threatening that I could easily be arrested (NBW) if Vidya just foists a fake domestic-violence case. I surrendered at Adyar Police Station but they could not arrest me since there was no case filed. Another lawyer of hers sent a legal-notice (signed by my daughter) for one of the properties, asked the tenant to vacate without my knowledge, changed the lock preventing my access and rejected my request for an one-time-access to take my belongings. She always had money and I had borrowed 7.5lacs (and promptly returned to her). After she walked away, she has so far paid close to 80lacs as rent alone. There are plenty of donors for her so I stopped being one. She is Materialistic which is okay. But she wants properties that are self-earned (and I had spent my prime paying EMI for 50lacs loan). She has (in writing) refused to cooperate transferring properties to our children. Unfortunately I bought properties in joint names and now my entire time goes on discussions with Advocates. I earned for the sake of the next generation and my aim is to reach all the properties to our children. I will fight her legally and be fair to both our children.

________________________________________________________________________________________

I am older than you so let me take the liberty of requesting you to focus on your core competence (prevention of trafficking). Best wishes Arun.

Thanks and regards

SHANKAR S / +91 94444 95059

Adoptive Parent and Adoption Professional / www.SuDatta.org

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