Chinese children's homes pay for children

Chinese children's homes pay money to finders who drop children off at homes. This is apparent from an investigation by the Ministry of Justice following a Network report on adoption from China. According to China, these are 'symbolic amounts'.

Netwerk managed to obtain the contents of a draft letter on this subject from Justice Minister Hirsch Ballin to the House of Representatives. In it he discusses the fuss that arose in March about adoptions from China following a report by Netwerk. That report revealed that children's homes in Hunan province pay for children brought in. Many -also Dutch- adopted children come from this province. The ministry then launched its own investigation.

In the draft report, the ministry calls the Chinese adoption system 'vulnerable'. "Possible new irregularities are reported with some regularity," the report said. The Chinese adoption agency has admitted to the ministry that "symbolic amounts" are paid to finders who deliver children to children's homes. Last March's Network broadcast showed that finders were paid semi-annual salaries.

According to the Hague Adoption Convention, which both the Netherlands and China have signed, it is prohibited to pay finders of children. "Not a dollar, not a cent," the Hague Permanent Bureau on the Adoption Convention told Netwerk in March. The letter to the House of Representatives shows that the Ministry of Justice has doubts about whether this ban is being observed in the provinces. "Many children's homes are located in poor regions where small amounts can be of great significance," the report said. That can encourage child trafficking.

Emeritus professor Rene Hoksbergen speaks in a reaction of 'a critical report'. He has doubts about new adoptions from China. Hoksbergen: 'It is extremely difficult for the Netherlands to continue in the same way after this report. But it is up to the adoption organizations to make a decision about this'.

In the broadcast of Netwerk this evening, a Chinese couple also reacts to the findings of the ministry. In March, the couple said in Netwerk that their child had been taken by authorities because of China's one-child policy. In the draft report, Justice writes that China denies the parents' story. The ministry states that 'the network's reading differs on important points from that of the Chinese authorities'.

Based on the report, Hirsch Ballin sees no reason to stop adoptions from China. He does call on all parties involved to 'continue vigilance and critically monitor adoption'.

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