Mrs. Boudault writes to us about the adoption of Malian children: If there is a culprit, it is Rayon de Soleil France *

Publication date: 12 November 2007

Following our articles on the wave of adoptions of Malian children in France, initiated by the French NGO "Rayon de soleil", Mrs. Boudault Danielle, Representative of the subsidiary of this NGO in Bamako from 1988 - 1991, addressed to our editorial staff, from Limours (France), a right of reply which we publish in full.

I was assigned to Bamako in Mali on 09/01/1987, seconded by the Finance Administration to the Ministry of Cooperation and lecturer at the National School of Administration in Bamako.

My salary as a Technical Assistant allowed me, at my modest level, to react to painful situations that I could encounter. The house was open, those who wished could find a little help, listening, and hope.

After a few months, I became a correspondent for the Association Rayon de Soleil France de l'Enfant Etranger, an adoption organization. I was asked to produce various documents (civil status, morality, health, professional background) which were sent to the French and Malian authorities by the care of this Association. Of course, the Consulate and the Embassy of France were informed.

This work receives authorization to make adoptions in Mali.

Dr. Lemire, now deceased, was then the President of Rayon de Soleil France and Mrs. Bernadette Gratecap responsible for adoptions in Africa. I depended directly on Mrs. Bernadette Gratecap, who I believe reported to the President.

I don't know if she still has any archives. All documents sent from Mali, particularly those relating to adoption, were addressed to his attention.

For my part, I was not a member of the Board of Directors or of the Bureau of the Rayon de Soleil France association.

An on-site assistance component is being set up: sponsorship for the schooling of children, care for sick children, etc.

After approval by Foreign Affairs of Rayon de Soleil in Mali for adoptions, applications from French parents for adoption are sent to me by Madame Gratecap of Rayon de Soleil

They are accompanied by the following documents:

– the agreement of the DASS, it generally takes nearly a year to obtain it and the procedure is the same for adopting a child from France or from abroad,

– the social and psychological investigation, concerning the suitability of the family to adopt a child,

– in case of sterility of the couple, certificate of sterility or non-fertility,

– the marital status of the adopting parents, their profession, their resources,

– a family civil status record,

– family photos showing her in her environment.

As for the file of the Malian children, it was established following numerous interviews. It included marital status, address, family composition, motives and resources when available. Over time, there was intervention by a social worker from the area and a police captain.

It was explained in French for those who understood it and in Bambara for the most part what adoption meant and what it implied: "the child will go to France, he will no longer bear your name but the name of the family French, and that will be final. He will become French, he will have the same rights as any legitimate child (within his new family) he will no longer be your child, but that of the French family.

When a child's application was selected:

– the biological parents were informed that in France full adoption could be requested by the French family and Malian families were asked, if they agreed, to sign a consent to French full adoption with renunciation of paternal and maternal rights on the 'child. These explanations were given in Bambara by several competent people (Mr. Issa Traoré, Mr. Konaté, a court clerk called Dany)

– Consent first given on plain paper, stamped by the prosecutor of the competent court in Bamako,

– The French texts concerning adoption in France specify that the conditions of adoption are subject to the national law of the adopter but that the Malian legal representative of the child must be informed and give informed consent,

– Over the years, this consent will be given before a notary,

– The biological parents are informed that they will receive news of their child from Rayon de Soleil France in Paris, for a period of 5 years after the adoption of the French judgment. French families signed a protocol with Rayon de Soleil France to this effect.

– The child's file is then presented to the Malian judge. The president of the court of commune 2, during all this time was Mrs. Diallo. The court did not always request the appearance of the Malian family, but this appearance was however systematic around 1989/1990. These dates are difficult to specify because I do not hold any archives. When the Malian family is present at the hearing, the judge addresses the family in Bambara, if French is not well mastered.

A judgment of adoption – protection is pronounced (the case is sometimes put under deliberation). I represented, for my part, the French family. It is then necessary to wait for the period of non-revocation and non-appeal, the judgment only becoming final after this period.

– Then the child's file is checked by the police in order to obtain authorization to leave the territory. A passport application is requested for the child, which involves the filing of the child's entire file and a new check,

– Then after a medical examination of the child by the doctor of the French Medical Center, the application for a visa to enter France is requested. At this time, new control of the file and the procedure by the consular services which took the attachment of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

– I don't know if in France the adoptive families have all obtained judgments of full adoption, or for some, judgments of simple adoption, but the work of adoption considered that full adoption offered better guarantees to the child.

It would therefore have been necessary, for a child to be torn from his parents without their consent, as certain rumors suggest, a collusion in Mali between justice, the police, social services on the one hand, and the French consular services , Rayon de Soleil and myself on the other hand.

The French texts concerning adoption in France and a case law of the Court of Cassation clearly specify that the conditions of adoption are subject to the national law of the adopter, but that the legal representative of the child must be informed and give informed consent.

When the child arrived in France, he was usually welcomed at the airport by Mrs. Gratecap, head of the Africa sector, who gave the family a certificate of collection for full adoption signed by Doctor Lemire, then president of Rayon. of Sun France. Difficulties arose when the families stopped receiving news from Rayon de Soleil France about their children. I tried, but without result, to obtain that the 5-year period be postponed until the majority of the child, as was done at the level of adoptions of children from India.

Back in France in 1991, when the Malian families who had my address wrote to me, I sent the mail to the headquarters of Rayon de Soleil France, but this request generally did not receive a favorable response, which I deeply regret.

I specify that when I left Mali, a Malian association ARSEM Association Rayon de Soleil de l'enfant au Mali was created in June 1991 and that all the archives (duplicate files, social surveys) were left behind. I don't know who currently owns them or what happened to them. There have been different Malian presidents (police captain, army captain, doctor)

In March 1996, an action was filed by 3 Malian families before the National Observatory for Women's Rights for lack of news against Rayon de Soleil France, myself and Ibrahim Diakité. I then contacted Rayon de Soleil France, who refused to give any news, but authorized me to contact the families directly: Commander Diakité of the Morals Brigade had provided me with the protection adoption judgments concerning the 3 families (Bah, Coulibaly and Touré). I obtained from the families the complete file of the children (the documents produced were the following: Malian judgment, consent to French plenary adoption, French plenary adoption judgment, recent report on the development of the child, school file,

The families were all reassured about the fate of their children and this reinforced my idea that it was important for Malian families to receive news even beyond the age of 5, if they expressed the desire. .

I sent Rayon de Soleil France many requests for news of their children, from Malian families. I never received a response. My last request was addressed in this sense to Rayon de Soleil on 12/11/2004. I don't know what fate was reserved for him. I informed the Malian families of this situation, telling them that it was useless to continue to write to me at my personal address since I had no archives at home and Rayon de Soleil did not respond to my requests.

The president of Rayon de Soleil at the time, Madame Boucher, took note of this in a letter she sent to me on 11/30/2004.

Of the texts applying to adoption works with regard to the information they may or may not disclose, Rayon de Soleil France certainly knows the terms.

* The title is from the editorial staff

Limours, November 07, 2007

Our comment

Believing that her honor and dignity were seriously questioned in our editions dated November 1 and 5, 2007, Mrs. Boudault Danielle fully enjoys a right of reply that "L'Aube" makes it its duty to publish in full. Even if, in this case, this right of reply in no way undermines the credibility or the veracity of the facts mentioned in the editions of "L'Aube" cited in reference by Mrs. D. Boudault.

For our part, we do not regret having written that D. Boudault was the first person responsible for the adoption process in France of several hundred Malian children in the period from 1988 - 1991, on behalf of "Rayon de soleil” located at 8 bis, rue Martel Paris-10è. What's more, these adoptions took place under rather dubious conditions, knowing that at the time of the events, Malian adoption laws authorized only one form of adoption: adoption – protection. However, in view of the documents that we have in our possession, we have reason to believe that "Rayon de soleil" had all the Malian children adopted by French families in the other non-legal form in Mali, i.e. say full adoption. If not, why did the families of origin of the children concerned (now adults), do not communicate with their children? Worse, their Malian parents lost their traces for more than 15 years. Why does "Rayon de soleil" not reveal the addresses of adoptive families in France? Do these Malian children know, today after their majority, the truth as to the conditions under which they were adopted in France? Ms. Boudault's right of reply hardly provides any clear answers to these questions. the truth as to the conditions under which they were adopted in France? Ms. Boudault's right of reply hardly provides any clear answers to these questions. the truth as to the conditions under which they were adopted in France? Ms. Boudault's right of reply hardly provides any clear answers to these questions.

However, we are delighted that Ms. Boudault, in her right of reply, confirms our information all along the line. It even completes these by making interesting revelations, opening up other avenues of exploration.

The editorial

staff

Countries: France