twist in Asia's grim baby trade
25 May 2009
twist in Asia's grim baby trade
PHOTO
A law official beleives there are thousands of cases of pregnant Asian women
being used to carry babies across national boundaries. [ABC]
AUDIO from Connect Asia
Trafficking in pregnant women
Created: Mon, 25 May 08:18:39 UTC-0300 2009
Linda Mottram
Last Updated: 13 hours 23 minutes ago
Baby-smugglers have hit on a new angle in business - trading in pregnant women
and using them to carry the item for sale, says a senior Australian law
official.
Australia's chief federal magistrate, John Pascoe, says demand from the
industrialised world to adopt very young babies is driving the new twist in
people smuggling, particularly in Asia.
Mr Pascoe has just presented a paper on the issue to a LawAsia conference in
Singapore, which was looking at children and the law.
He told Radio Australia's Connect Asia program that among the measures needed to
fight the insidious trade should be a new system of children's rights.
Packed in foam
Until recently, says the magistrate, babies have been smuggled in more dangerous
ways, such as in 2003 case when eight infants were found in a boat off
Indonesia, packed in styrofoam fish boxes.
The boxes had been punctured to enable them to breathe, he says, "and put very
crudely, this is seen by traffickers as not a particularly good way of moving
children because there are health consequences.
"It is seen as both safer for the child and safer in terms of detection for them
to move the pregnant mother across the national boundary."
Mr Pascoe notes that trafficking generally is very much a hidden crime, "but . .
. there are fortunately an increasing number of arrests in this area, so we
believe that (the incidence of this method) is increasing and that the numbers
are probably in the thousands rather than in tens or hundreds".
Adoption process
The law officer says there is significant demand from the west for children for
adoption and most of the newborns involved "end up in some sort of illegal
adoption process.
"There's huge demand from first world countries for very young children for
adoption purposes."
Asia Pacific countries should be urged to become signatories "to the various
conventions" that protect the rights of the child. "That is not universal across
the region," he says.
At the Singapore conference, Mr Pascoe urged a system that gives a child rights
which crystallise the moment it is born, and including a right "to know its
nationality, to know who its parents are and generally to be properly cared
for".
He says the region also needs to increase border protection, "so that when
somebody moves across a national boundary with a child that was not on their
passport, for example . . . that questions are asked and that officials don't
turn a blind eye".
He believes many western parents paying for adoption "would be horrified if they
knew . . . that the child had been stolen, as (has) sometimes occurred, or that
the mother actually had no idea what was really happening to her child".
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http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/connectasia/stories/200905/s2579872.htm
Pregnant women being trafficked for their babies
Print Email
Updated May 25, 2009 12:48:54
First world demand to adopt very young babies is driving a new twist in people
smuggling, particularly in Asia.
One of Australia's senior law officers says more and more, smugglers are trading
in pregnant women - the perfect incubators - for access to their newborns.
Australia's Chief Federal Magistrate John Pascoe is presenting a paper on the
issue to the LawAsia conference in Singapore, which is looking at children and
the law.
He says that among the measures needed to fight the insidious trade should be a
new system of children's rights. To illustrate the shift in focus for the
smugglers, Mr Pascoe describes a 2003 case that happened off Indonesia.
Presenter: Linda Mottram
Speaker: Australia's Chief Federal Magistrate John Pascoe.
Listen: Windows Media
JOHN PASCOE: There were eight babies in the boat. They were packed in styrofoam
fish boxes, that were punctured in order to enable them to breathe and put very
crudely, this is seen by traffickers as not a particularly good way of moving
children because there are health consequences and it is seen as both safer for
the child and safer in terms of detection for them to move the pregnant mother
across the national boundary.
LINDA MOTTRAM: Do you have any idea about the extent of the problem, what sort
of numbers we're talking about?
JOHN PASCOE: Sadly this is a crime which is very hidden, trafficking generally
is very much a hidden crime, but there are increasing numbers of reports, there
are fortunately an increasing number of arrests in this area, so we believe that
it's increasing and that the numbers are probably in the thousands rather than
in tens or hundreds.
LINDA MOTTRAM: So why is this growing? Is it just because the trafficking
progress is evolving? The traffickers are finding new and better ways, if you
like, to move the people they want to move or are there other factors there?
JOHN PASCOE: We believe that trafficking is always motivated by economics, but
also there is significant demand for children for adoption apart from anything
else. I believe that most newly born children end up in some sort of illegal
adoption process. There's huge demand from first world countries for very young
children for adoption purposes.
LINDA MOTTRAM: Well, what can be done about this? There are international
conventions on the rights and protection of children but clearly that's
inadequate?
JOHN PASCOE: Yes, I think we need to encourage countries throughout the Asia
Pacific region to become signatories to the various conventions that protect the
rights of the child. and that is not universal across the region. And I am also
putting forward that I think we need to move to a system that actually gives a
child rights which crystallise the moment it is born and those rights should
include a right to know its nationality, to know who its parents are and
generally to be properly cared for.
MOTTRAM: But, is that sort of thing going to really do anything to stop
traffickers who clearly are willing to go to any lengths to make money out of
humans?
PASCOE: I think where there is money, human ingenuity will often find a way to
get it. But I think this is really all about making it as difficult as possible.
We also need to increase border protection, so that when somebody moves across a
national boundary with a child that was not on their passport, for example, when
they entered the country, that questions are asked and that officials don't turn
a blind eye for whatever reason that they may choose to do that.
MOTTRAM: Do you think or have any sense of whether those adopting parents in the
first world with sufficient money have any idea of where these babies are coming
from?
PASCOE: Broadly speaking, I think no. I think many of them are genuinely
motivated by the desire to give a child a better life and I think they would be
horrified if they knew, for example, that the child had been stolen as sometimes
occurred or that the mother actually had no idea what was really happening to
her child.