NAVI MUMBAI: A newborn girl was found in a duffle bag. She was abandoned by a masked man in the common passage of Laxmi Hospital and fitness club in Ghansoli on Friday.
The incident has been captured by the CCTV camera. The baby’s cries were heard by the gym members who informed the owner and summoned the Koparkhairne police. Since the baby was alive, the cops took her to NMMC hospital, Vashi for a medical check-up. All health parameters were normal, the cops kept her at the NGO Vishwa Balak Kendra in Nerul.
 

An FIR has been registered against the baby's mother and the masked man who abandoned her.
Constable Priti Nehe said, “I am willing to adopt the abandoned girl child.”

Sushant Parte, gym instructor said, “I want to adopt the abandoned girl child and shall follow the legal process.”

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Jharkhand: Abandoned child gets new home and family in Italy In a historic move, an adoption agency in Jharkhand's Dumka has granted international adoption for the first time in the district. An Italian couple, residing in Italy, has adopted a child whom the mother and family had rejected. The couple, who had been trying to have children for years, registered on a website and went through all the necessary legal procedures to bring the child back to Italy. This is the 18th inter-country adoption from Dumka since 2018.103747215

No HC relief for 2 abandoned girls in med seat quota The Bombay High Court has refused to direct the Directorate of Medical Education and Research to consider two abandoned girls for admission to undergraduate medical courses under the 1% horizontal reservation quota. The court stated that granting interim relief would deprive other orphans of seats in the medical courses. The petitioners argued that the government resolution discriminated between orphans and abandoned children, violating the Right to Equality. The court rejected the interim application and stated that the issues raised would require further examination at the final hearing.103770616

A growing number of Indian couples are specifically requesting to adopt girls, according to adoption agencies in the country. Data from the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) shows that more girls are being adopted compared to boys. Some couples believe that daughters are more caring and attached to their families, while others want to challenge the traditional preference for male children.

Pune-based couple Protima Sharma and Shyne Kochuveed wanted to have one biological child and a second via adoption. When they were unable to conceive, the doctor suggested they go for in-vitro fertilisation. But the 30-somethings decided they would go for adoption right away. While filling the adoption registration form in 2015, they opted for a girl child — the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) which oversees adoptions in India allows parents to state a gender preference or remain neutral. Soon, they brought home a three-month-old baby girl and named her Ivanka.
In 2017, they registered for another adoption and once again ticked the box for ‘girl child’. After a wait of two years, they became proud parents to threemonth-old Verushka. “Friends and family members were surprised. They would ask us why we didn’t ask for a boy, at least this time around, to complete our family. But we didn’t feel the need to defend our choice. I would tell them, ‘this is our complete family’,” says Sharma.
Sharma and Kochuveed are among a small but growing number of Indian couples who prefer a girl child. A look at CARA’s statistics show that more girls are being adopted compared to boys. In 2021-22, 1,698 girls were adopted as op posed to 1,293 boys. While these figures also reflect an unfortunate reality — more girls are being abandoned and, therefore, landing in the adoption pool, senior officials in CARA and adoption counsellors in cities say they have witnessed an uptick in the proportion of parents who specifically ask for a girl child. “Over the past three years, we have observed that seven out of 10 couples who register for adoption opt for a girl child while filling the form. The other three are neutral and open to a child of either gender but when you ask them what their heart desires, two still say they yearn for a girl. Only one couple would perhaps say, ‘I would like a boy’,” says Sunil Arora, executive director of Bal Asha Trust, which is one of the leading adoption centres in Mumbai.
Arora, who counsels parents considering adoption, points out that while earlier this trend was seen only in urban centres, now a sizeable number of parents from smaller towns is also asking for girl children. This is heart-warming considering India has a long-standing obsession with ‘raja betas’, especially in the more patriarchal north where daughters are considered a ‘burden’ (thanks to dowry culture) and sons, a ‘boon’ as they take over the family business and produce heir/heirs who carry forward the family name.
 

Smriti Gupta, co-founder of a non-profit called ‘Where are India’s Chil dren’ which aims to change the mindset about adoption, says the landscape of adoption has changed in a big way. “Now, a lot of families adopt out of choice, and not because they are unable to have a biological child and have exhausted all possible medical treatments. They want to become ‘parents’ and are less fixated on gender,” says Gupta.
Some feel that daughters are more caring and attached to their families. “Others fear that a boy may not take the news that he was adopted positively when he is a little older and may not care for his parents,” says Parul Agrawal, founder of the Adoption Action Group, a support group for prospective adoptive parents. She adds that a few families also feel that if they are “elevating the lifestyle” of an orphan, they would rather help a girl. “We have a history of believing that looking after a kanya gets you more punya; agar savarni hai to ladki ki zindagi savaro,” she says.

Jimmy Lippert Thyden of Ashburn, Virginia told Chilean President Gabriel Boric during a visit to Washington: 'You can't make this right, but you can make it better.'

A group of U. S. citizens stolen from their birth mothers in Chile converged on the U.S. capital Saturday to confront visiting Chilean President Gabriel Boric.

They left with a promise.

"How can I help?" Boric told Jimmy Lippert Thyden, an Ashburn, Virginia man who was taken from his mother in Chile as a baby and adopted out to unsuspecting parents in the U.S. about 40 years ago.

It was a major victory for Thyden and other stolen children, who have struggled for years to get the attention of Chile's government.

Kerala High CourtSisu Bhavan vs Joy Yohannan on 24 June, 2008            IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM Crl.MC.No. 2957 of 2007() 1. SISU BHAVAN,                      ...  Petitioner                        Vs 1. JOY YOHANNAN, AGED 37 YEARS,                       ...       Respondent 2. STATE OF KERALA,                For Petitioner  :SRI.P.GOPAKUMARAN NAIR                For Respondent  :SRI.LIJI.J.VADAKEDOM The Hon'ble MR. Justice V.RAMKUMAR Dated :24/06/2008 O R D E R                           V. RAMKUMAR, J.                  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *                      Crl.M.C. No. 2957 of 2007                                   &                   Crl. Revision Case No. 3 of 2008                  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *                          Dated: 24-6-2008                                ORDER

This Crl.M.C. has been filed by Sisu Bhavan, Sisters of Nazareth, which is an Orphanage recognized as per Annexure A certificate issued by the Central Adoption Resource Agency, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India for submission of applications to competent Courts for declaration of foreigners as guardians of Indian children under the Guardians and Wards Act,. 1890.

2. Taking the cue from the prosecution allegation in S.C. 41 of 2007 pending before the Addl. Sessions Court (Adhoc-I), Kottayam to the effect that a child was born pursuant to the commission of the offence of rape on the 28 year old victim by the accused (Joy Yohannan) and punishable under Sec. 376 I.P.C., the accused filed Crl.M.P. 1405 of 2007 before the trial court at the stage of defence evidence for a direction to the person in custody of the child to produce the child before the Director of Rajeev Gandhi Centre for Bio-Technology, Thiruvananthapuram for the purpose of subjecting  Crl.M.C. No. 2957 of 2007 & the child as well as the victim and the accused to a DNA test. As per order dated 20-8-2007 the learned Addl. Sessions Judge allowed the application and issued a direction to the petitioner herein namely, the Sisu Bhavan, Sisters of Nazareth to produce the child for the purpose of subjecting the child to D.N.A. test.

3. The petitioner orphanage entered appearance before the Sessions Court and informed the court that the child in question had already been placed in local adoption and that the details of the adoptive parents of the child cannot be divulged in view of the decision of the Apex Court in Lakshmi Kant Pandey's case reported in AIR 1984 SC 469, AIR 1986 SC 272 and AIR 1987 SC 232. However, it appears that the Sessions Court was not inclined to entertain the objection raised by the Orphanage which necessitated the present Crl.M.C. filed by the Orphanage. During the course of consideration of the Crl.M.C. this Court took note of the fact that in a rape trial the question of paternity of the child was totally irrelevant and since the order passed by the Sessions Court was not questioned by the State this Court initiated suo motu Revision against the said order. That is how Crl.R.P. 3 of 2008 came to be registered before this Court.

4. I heard the learned counsel appearing for the parties referred to above as well as the Public Prosecutor.  Crl.M.C. No. 2957 of 2007 &

The destruction of adoption files in 1983 and 1999 was not in line with the Archives Act. This is the conclusion of the Government Information and Heritage Inspectorate in a new report in response to questions from adoptees, parliamentary questions and a publication by the NOS .

This concerns thousands of destroyed files from the Child Protection Directorate of the Ministry of Justice and Security dating from the period from 1967 to 1979. The files contain data of people who had registered as adoptive parents.

This information was necessary for the so-called 'consent in principle', in which it was determined that people met the criteria to be allowed to adopt a child. The files also contained personal information about the adopted child, so that they could obtain a visa.

About a hundred files from that period have not been destroyed. It is not clear why they have been preserved.

Careless management

Getting necessities from a meagre income is a well-known fact, but have you heard of selling your blood to get an Apple sticker on the back of your smartphone? Sounds absurd, right? Well, a shocking incident took place in West Bengal where a couple went to even greater lengths and sold their baby to purchase an iPhone 14, all to create Instagram reels while travelling across Bengal.
This heart-wrenching incident occurred in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district. The West Bengal Police managed to apprehend the mother, identified as 'Sathi,' who was responsible for buying?? or selling?? the baby. However, the father, Jaydev Ghosh, is still at large, and the authorities are actively searching for him.

The incident came to light when concerned neighbours noticed some peculiar changes in the Ghosh family's behaviour. The eight-month-old baby had been missing for days, yet the parents displayed no signs of worry or anxiety. Additionally, their sudden acquisition of an iPhone 14, which costs no less than a lakh, raised suspicion among the neighbours, given that the family was known to have financial difficulties in the past.
Upon confronting the mother, she eventually confessed under pressure that she and her husband had indeed sold their baby to acquire money for purchasing the iPhone, enabling them to create Instagram reels showcasing their travels across various parts of Bengal.

Even more shocking, it was revealed that before attempting to sell their baby, the father had also tried to sell his seven-year-old daughter. The police have filed a case against the couple, and the mother who bought the baby is also facing criminal charges for human trafficking.

The investigation is still ongoing, and further details will be shared once the police delve deeper into the case.

This incident is not the first of its kind, unfortunately. In India, there have been multiple instances where parents have resorted to selling their children for materialistic gains. For instance, back in 2016, a Chinese couple sold their 18-day-old daughter for $3530 to purchase an iPhone.

In a tragic incident from March of this year, an Australian woman expressed her desire in court to exchange her unborn child for an iPhone. Subsequently, she committed an unthinkable act, locking two of her daughters inside a car for nine hours, leading to their demise.

These are the clear indicators and warning signs of why societies must work together to prevent such heinous acts and provide support to families facing financial hardships or mental health issues.

In a disturbing case in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, an orphanage was found illegally selling babies to childless couples. The head of the orphanage, who also operated a shelter for destitute women, was caught running the adoption racket. The babies were sold for amounts ranging from Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 200,000. This incident sheds light on the concerning issue of human trafficking, especially involving children, which is a growing crime problem in India. Authorities are taking action to combat such illegal activities and protect vulnerable children from exploitation.

According to The Times of India, a couple from the North 24 Parganas district sold their child to fund their purchase of an iPhone 14, likely because of its high-end camera capabilities.

Volusia mother accused of ‘adoption fraud’ after agreeing to give away child

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A Daytona Beach woman was arrested last week after being accused of “adoption fraud,” according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

FDLE said that Melinda Myles, 31, had agreed to place her child for adoption while she was pregnant, receiving financial assistance from the prospective adoptive parents in return.

In an affidavit, agents said that during the 2022 pregnancy, Myles had an open case with the Department of Children and Families regarding her other four children, and so she opted to terminate her parental rights over the prenatal child.

Myles had originally asked the prospective parents to be present at the child’s birth, but before the birth happened, she told the couple that she had COVID-19 to keep them from coming to the hospital, the affidavit shows.

Where exactly does the law stand when it comes to adoptions by trans persons?

It was a petition by Mumbai-based transgender activist Gauri Sawant – better known for being featured in a 2017 Vicks ad – and others that led to the historic NALSA judgment of 2014, in which the Supreme Court recognised trans people as a 'third gender'.

Srinagar: The High Court of J&K and Ladakh on Tuesday held that the Legally Free Certificates for adoption of babies issued by Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Srinagar dissolved on August 24 last year are legally valid.   

“… it is clarified that Legally Free Certificate of the babies issued by CWC, Srinagar dissolved on August 2022, are legally valid having been issued by the CWC, Srinagar, which is continuing pursuant to the interim directions passed by learned Single Judge dated 06.09.2022 in WP(C) no 1748/2022,” a division bench of Justice Sanjeev Kumar and justice Puneet Gupta said.    

However, the bench made it clear that apart from this direction it did not express its opinion on the merits of any other matter in connection with the adoption of the babies by the applicants.

Applicants, Dhyanesh Bhatt and Vaibhavi Kulkarni had approached the court seeking clarification with regard to validity of Legally Free Certificate issued by CWC for adoption of babies on January 24 this year.

The Bombay High Court on Friday expressed apprehension that parents may abandon children, especially girl children, in order to get reservation benefits if at all any such reservation is created for abandoned children.

A division bench of Justices GS Patel and Neela Gokhale was hearing a plea by the NEST foundation, an NGO which urged the Court to direct the government to create reservation benefits for abandoned children at par with orphaned children. 

Opposing the proposition, Advocate General Dr Birendra Saraf argued that the if the State government grants such reservation to abandoned children, it may create a situation where children are deliberately abandoned to be included under the fold of reservation. 

“Orphanage is a matter of fact but abandonment can be created. It happens. This is the sad truth. The government does not want to create such a situation,” the Advocate General said. 

“This is our anxiety too. It will encourage abandonment, especially of girl children. We need to find a balance,” the bench replied.