More and more Westerners want to adopt children, while the Third World offers fewer and fewer children for adoption. Therefore, the need to control the adoption market is growing so that children do not end up as a commodity

By Lars Henriksen and Henrik Hoffmann-Hansen

The Danish adoption system needs a major overhaul. In particular, the possibilities for controlling adoption organizations and orphanages must be looked into more closely.

That demand comes from several sides, after Danmarks Radio has revealed, among other things, the sale of adopted children from India. Yesterday, the revelations caused family and consumer affairs minister Carina Christensen (K) to temporarily stop new adoptions from the country. Yesterday she had a long-planned meeting with the adoption organisations, who want the adoption rules adjusted in several areas.

The demand for better control comes, among other things, from Adoption & Society, an independent, advisory association for adoptive parents and adoptees.

A story of being chosen: an adoptees journey to empowerment and her parents dual adoption - join us for a special conversation with Rati Dhoundiyal Ahuja, a remarkable woman who was adopted as a baby in the 1970s and grew up in a loving family in South Mumbai. She’ll be sharing her unique adoption journey, how her parents helped other couples adopt, and how she proudly embraced her story despite societal questions. In this live session, we’ll discuss her experiences of: - Growing up with an adopted sibling who faced emotional challenges. - How she openly shared her adoption story with her son at 16. - Why she believes normalizing adoption is essential and how we can encourage others to embrace it, just like "paw parents" do with adopted pets. Her story is an inspiring testament to the power of love, family, and the importance of open conversations around adoption. Don’t miss this insightful and heartfelt discussion! Tune in live on 28th September 2024 at 5 pm IST Let’s continue the conversation on normalizing adoption and embracing these beautiful journeys with pride!

Illegal adoptees have begun receiving a once-off payment of €3,000 from the Department of Children, to help cover the costs of DNA tests and any legal bills.

The money is being paid out following a recommendation last year by the former government Special Rapporteur on Child Protection on foot of an independent review into illegal registrations.

Professor Conor O’Mahony had called for a state inquiry into the issues raised and said the Government should formally apologise to those affected.

It is estimated that as many as 15,000 people were illegally registered as the birth child of their adoptive parents after the adoption act was introduced in 1952.

That law was meant to protect illegal trafficking of children. However, it has since emerged private unlawful adoption arrangements continued until at least the 1970s.

APA – Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) – Relations between Ouagadougou and Paris have been deteriorating steadily since Capt. Ibrahim Traoré came to power in September 2022.

“All intercountry adoption procedures concerning children habitually resident in Burkina Faso by a person habitually resident in France have been suspended,” the French Adoption Agency (AFA) reported Monday.

The AFA cites a decree by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published in the Journal Officiel on Saturday.

The organization Rayon de Soleil de l'Enfant Etranger, which is still accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in five countries, is being investigated by the French courts for its illegal adoption activities in Mali in the 1990s. Similar cases have been documented in Romania and the Central African Republic.

After years of struggle – finally, a sense of relief. On September 6, the Judicial Court of Paris requested the opening of an investigation for fraud following a complaint filed in June 2020 by nine French adoptees from Mali against their adoption agency and their former correspondent in Bamako: Rayon de Soleil de l'Enfant Etranger (Ray of Sunshine of the Foreign Child, RDSEE) and Danielle Boudault.

They all accuse the French organization, still accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in five countries (Bulgaria, Chile, China, South Korea and India), of using "schemes" to "bypass the law" in order to have them adopted in France between 1989 and 1996, and deceiving their parents – biological as well as adoptive – in the process. The organization allegedly promised their biological parents that the children would only stay in France temporarily. As for the adoptive families, RDSEE reportedly assured them that the little Malian children had been abandoned by their families of origin.

For five years, Le Monde has conducted an investigation on this organization, one of the most important French non-profits responsible for the adoption of more than 7,000 children around the world. RDSEE is suspected of having adopted children who shouldn't have been taken from their families – in Mali, but also in the Central African Republic, Madagascar, Haiti, Peru and Romania – in order to cater to French couples' international adoption requests.

Voor wie de brief wil lezen, deze staat hier

Mandates of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence

Par Mathieu DESLANDES

Pour leJDD.fr

>>Des organismes inefficaces, des tarifs opaques, des transferts de fonds suspects... Mercredi prochain, lors de la présentation du rapport annuel de la Cour des comptes, les critiques vont s'abattre sur le système d'adoption internationale, jugé "défaillant" par le président de la Cour, Philippe Séguin. Une quarantaine d'associations françaises sont concernées.

Philippe Seguin fait un sort au système d'adoption. (Maxppp)

Philippe Seguin fait un sort au système d'adoption. (Maxppp)

. 

ECPAT INTERNATIONAL CHAIR OF BOARD RECRUITMENT PACK MAY 2024

After years of struggle, there seems to be a definitive end to the adoption of foreign children by Dutch prospective parents. Saskia de Groot of SAP Personal Injury Lawyers represents adopted children who have fallen victim to abuses in the adoption sector. They are cautiously optimistic.

First, the background: why are international adoptions under fire? Since the 1970s, Dutch prospective parents have adopted more than forty thousand children from abroad. In doing so, rules were regularly violated. Children were not always given up voluntarily, birth certificates were forged. In many cases, Dutch officials knew about the fraud, but turned a blind eye or actively cooperated. The result is that children were torn away from their family and country of origin under false pretenses. Because of the forged papers, they have little or no opportunity to search for their biological family. Where they do succeed, it often costs a great deal of time and money.

State held liable

In 2018, SAP held the Dutch state liable on behalf of a group of adoptees. Other offices also initiated proceedings. The state has always denied responsibility for the abuses. Although there is occasional success in court, judges often rule that it is not right to look at procedures from the 1970s and 1980s with today's eyes.

In 2021, the Joustra Commission published a damning report on the widespread abuses in adoption procedures. The Dutch government had been aware of adoption abuses since the late 1960s. In doing so, the government failed to meet its responsibilities and obligations and failed to intervene when there was reason to do so. The harsh conclusions led to a temporary freeze on adoptions.