Eight women, including five expectant mothers, have been arrested for suspected child trafficking in Oba, Anambra State.

Police spokesman Haruna Mohammed who disclosed this on Wednesday, said the suspects were arrested in the house of one Melvina Uju Uba during a police raid.

He said eight children, including five newborns, were rescued during the operation.

He said, “On 26/1/2021 about 7:am, following an intelligence report, police operatives attached to the SIB and Area Command, Oraifite, coordinated by the Area Commander, ACP Afolabi Wilfred, raided the house of one Melvina Uju Uba, ‘f’, located opposite Nnamdi Azikiwe Orthopaedic Teaching Hospital Oba in Idemili South LGA of Anambra State.

“The place was raided following credible information that teenage girls were being impregnated and the babies sold out by human traffickers.

Barwani: The officials of Childline have succeeded in reuniting a seven-year-old boy with his family on Friday.

The boy got lost in the haat bazaar after his grandfather who got fully intoxicated, forgot to take him back to Sawarda village from where they had come. The lost boy Rakesh was brought to the police station of Rajpur. As soon as the officials of Childline got the news about a lost child being brought to the police station by the Station Incharge of Rajpur police station Triveni Rajput, Project Coordinator of Childline Sanjay Arya and Ravindra Singh Rathod reached Rajpur police station immediately and took the boy in their custody. After enquiring they came to know how the child got lost in the haat bazaar.

Childline officials did successful counseling of the child and after searching his home called his parents and then handed over the child to them.

Childline India Foundation is said to be the best NGO in India working for child labour, child trafficking, child abuse and violence, sexual abuse, child marriage, homeless child, conflict with the law, missing children, runaways, child health, education-related, homeless and addiction. Their efforts in the direction of child welfare are praiseworthy.

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As per the petition, one Narayan Dash of Ganjam district had kidnapped an eight-year-old girl from her village while she was witnessing a festival on the occasion of Kartika Purnima in 2015.

BHUBANESWAR: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has summoned the Home Secretary and SP of Crime Branch-CID, Cuttack seeking their personal appearance with detailed report in connection with rising human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children in Odisha.

Acting on a petition and subsequent submissions filed by rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy, the apex human rights panel has served conditional summons directing the two officers to appear before the Commission on March 17.

As per the petition, one Narayan Dash of Ganjam district had kidnapped an eight-year-old girl from her village while she was witnessing a festival on the occasion of Kartika Purnima in 2015. Narayan took the girl to Burupada and allegedly exploited her sexually. Next day, he engaged her for begging at different places after selling her ear-ring for `2000 to buy a cell phone.

“A former model was spotted while engaging minors from a Bhubaneswar-based slum in begging and extorting money from them. It is failure of the State government in dealing with children being used for begging, sexual abuse and drugs trade,” the petition stated.

HYDERABAD: Making it clear that the states leading lone battles against

child traffickers may not yield better results and that they should make the

central government an integral part in the battle against the inhuman

trafficking mafia, the Telangana high court on Thursday made the union

women and child welfare ministry as a necessary party to a batch of cases

Parents who are willing to adopt these four kids with special needs can visit India only after the restrictions on international flights are lifted after December 31

Amid the COVID-19 situation, four orphans including three with special needs and another differently-abled between child aged between one-three years have found their foster parents abroad.

While three couples who have shown interest in adoption are from the US, one is from Italy. They have come forward to adopt after getting the Medical Examination Report (MER) and Child Study Report (CSR). The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) that comes under the Ministry of Women & Child Development has been working as a platform for the adoption centres and those who are keen on adopting children.

The Daya Kiran Adoption Centre at Bhaktharahalli near Kunigal has about 20 such children aged between four months to three years. "We are processing the passport for four children and those willing to adopt will visit only after the restrictions on international flights are lifted after December 31. At a time when people don't show interest in adopting healthy children, these couples from abroad have shown their interest to adopt children with special needs. It is very kind and a humane gesture," remarked district child protection officer Vasanthi Uppar.

She also informed that the process of adoption would have completed in the month of April and May. However, due to the pandemic, the process of adoption was stopped. It resumed in June following which the process of adoption of a ten-year-old boy and an eleven-year-old girl from 'Bala mandir' is in progress.

Tough report on adoptions from abroad: cabinet urged to stop

The adoption of children from abroad must be stopped completely for the time being. A committee led by former top civil servant Tjibbe Joustra draws this conclusion in a report to be published, sources around the cabinet report. The outgoing government team is very upset with the recommendations.

Jan Hoedeman 05-02-21, 03:00

In a harsh judgment about the Dutch adoption culture and the role of the government in this, mention is made of 'serious abuses'. The committee identified child theft, child trafficking, corruption, forgery and theft of documents, unethical acts of civil servants and the transfer of children to the Netherlands under false pretenses.

The Joustra committee has mainly focused on adoptions of children from Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Joustra researched the thirty years between 1967 and 1997, but encountered a permanent and structural problem that still persists. Because contemporary adoption practice is still not good enough, bringing children to the Netherlands should stop for the time being, the advice is.

Hollywood star Jane Russell’s adoption of an Irishwoman’s child in the 1950s nearly ended the actress’s career.

Russell had already adopted a girl with her husband, NFL quarterback and kicker Bob Waterfield, but wanted to expand their family, according to the Journal.ie. News of the star’s desire for another child reached Hannah McDermott, a Derrywoman then living in London with her husband and young son. Reportedly Hannah offered her custody of baby Thomas on condition that Jane and Bob provided him with a good home, love and education.

When the news made the papers the controversy rippled across the world and young Hannah suddenly found her home in London besieged by photographers.

Local historian Willie Deery told the Belfast Telegraph he believes Hannah was motivated out of love for her child, “Hannah came in for a lot of criticism, but I think what she did was out of love for her child.

“And the adoption caused Jane Russell all sorts of grief. Howard Hughes thought all the bad Press would finish her and he ordered her to return the boy, but she stood her ground and refused to give up the child.”

A High Court judge has criticised a nine-year delay by the Adoption Authority of Ireland in making adoption orders for four Indian children living here since 2011 with couples anxious to adopt them.

Mr Justice John Jordan said the Hague Convention on inter-country adoption requires the relevant authorities “shall act expeditiously in the process of adoption”.

In these cases, causing or allowing a delay between 2011 and 2020 “is not acting expeditiously – if that is not an understatement”, he said. Time and expedition "should be measured in weeks and months and not in years”.

He made the comments in a judgment granting applications by the Child and Family Agency and three couples authorising the Authority to make adoption orders concerning the four children, aged between 11 and 15, including two siblings.

The children were described as “orphans” in documents from the relevant Indian authority but other documents from the same authority said they had been “abandoned”.

Couples secured guardianship orders in India in 2011, with view to adopting the children in Ireland

A High Court judge has criticised a nine-year delay by the Adoption Authority of Ireland in making adoption orders for four Indian children living here since 2011 with couples anxious to adopt them.

Mr Justice John Jordan said the Hague Convention on inter-country adoption required the relevant authorities “shall act expeditiously in the process of adoption”.

In these cases, causing or allowing a delay between 2011 and 2020 “is not acting expeditiously – if that is not an understatement”, he said. Time and expedition “should be measured in weeks and months – and not in years”.

He made the comments in a judgment granting applications by the Child and Family Agency and three couples for orders authorising the authority to make adoption orders concerning the four children, aged 11-15, including two siblings.

Women are entitled to maternity leave for adoption, only if the child is below three months of age at that time. This has posed several challenges to women who chose to adopt.

Natasha Sikdar*, an assistant professor at a Kolkata-based engineering college adopted a six-month-old girl child in 2020. She presumed that she would be entitled to maternity leave by her institute but was denied one citing the law.

"Since I had some reproductive issues and had reached the age of 36 years, I decided to go for adoption. The adoption process itself took more than a year and I really needed time off to spend with the baby. But my workplace refused leave since it is legally not mandatory," she added.

The Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Act states that 26 weeks of paid maternity leave will be available to all working women for pregnancy and child-birth.

However, when it comes to adoption the law states provides only 12 weeks of maternity leave from the time the child is handed over to them. This too is applicable only if the child is below the age of three months. Women adopting children above three months are not legally entitled to any leave.