— AFAA, Cradle of Hope Permanently from Conducting Adoptions in Liberia

The government, through the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection, has acted decisively against an American adoption agency for what it termed as serious criminal activities and mismanagement.

The Americans for African Adoptions (AFAA) and its affiliate, Cradle of Hope, an orphanage, are involved in serious child abuse and welfare violations as uncovered in a sweeping police investigation. The government has revoked the operation licenses of the orphanage and the adoption agency permanently. 

In a letter dated February 19, 2024, which contents are still concealed from the public, the Ministry of Gender, informed AFAA’s Country Director, Ms. Oretha James, that the adoption agency’s accreditation and sector clearance were being revoked for “widespread abuse and neglect” based on the report by the Liberia National Police.

“After a careful review of the investigative report from the Liberia National Police and legal opinions from within the Ministry’s legal arm, regarding the allegations of ‘Rape/Endangering the Welfare of Children involving Thirty (30) Children at Americans for African Adoption Orphanage,’ your accreditation and sector clearance are hereby revoked permanently in accordance with Article X, Subsection 15 of the Children Law of 2011,” Minister Gbeme Horace-Kollie wrote in her February 19, letter.

BY GOLDEN MATONGA & MERCY CHAGUNDA

Adopting Malawian babies has become a multi-trillion kwacha industry with agents who position themselves as charity organisations conducting online advertising adoption of the Malawian children using emotive images with a promise of a quick adoption process for children who, much like sought-after commodities, don’t come cheap. 

Each adoption comes with a price tag of around USD 20 700 (MK21.2m), a year-long investigation by the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) has revealed.

The PIJ can also reveal that adoptions worth $5.7 billion (MK5.8 trillion) were facilitated between 2006 and 2022. Many more are likely to have taken place and were not reviewed by the PIJ.

While the “quick adoption” process promised by agents is code for a system where government officials are able to by-pass legal issues as they too cash in on innocent children, poor Malawian families who are enticed to give up children for adoption with promises of lucrative payment are not always made aware that they will no longer have any access to their child after adoption. 

Right now, key documents about international adoptions are about to be transferred to the National Archives, where access to the documents will be limited. This deprives adoptees of the right to full insight into their own cases.

This is a debate post. The post expresses the writer's own opinion.

In November 2023, the government launched a historical study to uncover the area of ​​adoption.

But the investigation will neither conclude whether the adoptions were illegal, nor reveal whether lack of supervision and knowledge on the Danish side has led to violations of Danish adoption law and the human rights of Danish citizens.

The latest revelations from India, as shown in DR's " The Great Adoption Theft ", and Lebanon from the podcast " Falske minder " have documented, among other things, that Danish supervisory authorities and adoption agencies have approved adoptions that were illegal. They have participated in this, knowing full well that the mediation cooperation with the sending countries was problematic and illegal. In addition, inquiries from biological parents have also been ignored.

Both countries responsible for worst kind of human rights violation, says MP Katrine Daugaard

Katrine Daugaard, a member of Denmark’s Liberal Alliance Party, urged the Danish government to launch an impartial legal investigation into irregularities in past overseas adoptions from Korea, stressing that both the sending and receiving countries must take responsibility for misconduct in adoption practices.

"The work and probe results that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has made are super important. This is a call upon the Danish Parliament to investigate Danish authorities and adoption agencies," Daugaard told The Korea Times via email, Tuesday.

"I can’t say I was surprised by the results because I have read so many government files and case documents. It is very important for the people in both countries involved that the government takes responsibility for finding out the truth however dark it is," she added.

Her remarks follow March 26 announcement by the Korean commission on its initial investigation into overseas adoptions, which found government responsibility for human rights violations in intercountry adoptions from the 1960s to the 1990s. Of the 367 cases filed, Danish adoptees accounted for 227, or about 62 percent of the total.

A fund to provide therapy for adopted children will continue, the government has confirmed, after families criticised uncertainty over its future.

Families had been calling for clarity for months about the adoption and special guardian support fund, which expired on Monday.

Children and Families Minister Janet Daby recognised the delay had caused "a very difficult time" for many people but said £50m had been allocated for the fund for this year.

MPs welcomed the announcement, but said the delay had left families "in limbo", with some therapy stopped and services closed because of the hiatus.

Daby did not confirm when applications for the fund would reopen.

South Korea's adoption practices over nearly 50 years are being butchered in a new report, with the government largely blamed.

The report, prepared by South Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and presented at a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday, follows a three-year investigation and describes the entire adoption process as a mistake.

The commission also believes that the government must apologize to the victims and provide compensation to children whose identities were forged.

Many children were given orphan status even though their parents were alive, which has made it very difficult for adopted children to track down their biological relatives. Some of the children were outright abducted from their parents before they were adopted.

The commission states that for almost 50 years, South Korea handed over responsibility to adoption agencies without adequate oversight, and that the adoptions were characterized by fraud and mismanagement.

Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Savitri Thakur said at present, there are only 22 adoption orders pending at DM level across the country as per the CARINGS portal.

NEW DELHI: Over 30,000 Indian parents are waiting for adoption in the country, the centre informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

In a written reply, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Savitri Thakur, said there are 32,856 In-Country Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) and 859 Inter-Country Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) waiting for adoption as per data on Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System (CARINGS) portal.

She said the WCD ministry is the nodal ministry for the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act, 2015) which is the primary legislation for ensuring safety, security, dignity and wellbeing of children in need of care and protection.

The functionaries of the states and UTs implement the Act through institutions like State Adoption Resource Agencies, local Child Welfare Committees and District Child Protection Units (DCPUs).

Kochi: HC has emphasized that a mere entry as ‘adopted' in a baptism register or certificate does not confer the legal status of adoption, ruling that only a valid adoption made following the applicable Civil Law is recognized under Canon Law.

Justice A Badharudeen's ruling came while dismissing an appeal by Mary Joseph of Alappuzha and her adopted son John George, challenging a civil court order that declared the adoption invalid and denied John any legal rights to his deceased adoptive father's property.

Mary contended that she and her husband had adopted John from a Children's Home in 1989, with full inheritance rights as a biological child. However, after her husband's death, his siblings filed a suit claiming rights to the property.

Upon reviewing the adoption records, HC noted the district court, Kottayam, had only appointed Mary and her late husband as guardians of the minor boy and directed the Children's Home to hand over custody, without granting adoption.

HC, referring to Supreme Court precedents, reiterated that only an adoption compliant with Civil Law is recognized under Canon Law. HC further stated that to establish a valid adoption, there must be concrete evidence of the formal process, including the physical act of giving and receiving the child.

My name is Saviëlle, I am 29 years old and come from Harderwijk. At the age of 2 I was adopted from China. On March 16th I received the incredible news that a DNA match was found with my biological parents. This came as a huge shock - it feels like the impossible has become reality.

Why I want to share this

I know that there are many adoptees in the Netherlands who, like me, never went looking because they thought it was impossible. But thanks to technological advances and the help of volunteers and organizations, much more is possible today.

With my story I hope to inspire other adoptees to give it a try if they have ever thought about it. Sometimes the chance of success is greater than you think.

I would really appreciate it if my story could be shared. If you are interested or know someone who can help with this, I would love to hear from you. Thank you in advance for your time!

More than 2,000 orphaned children are currently awaiting adoption across India, with West Bengal having the highest number among the states, according to data shared by the Women and Child Development Ministry. Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Savitri Thakur, presented the statistics recently, revealing that a total of 2,321 children are in the adoption pool nationwide.

Thakur noted that most Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) prefer to adopt younger children, particularly those below six years of age and in normal health, through the designated CARINGS portal. “If there is availability of a lesser number of such children in the adoption pool, the waiting period for PAPs may be higher,” she stated in a written response.

Among the states, West Bengal has the highest number of children awaiting adoption at 309, followed by Maharashtra with 261, Odisha with 225, Bihar with 205, and Telangana with 197.

The minister also provided insights into child nutrition and welfare. She stated that as per the projected population, India had approximately 13.75 crore children up to the age of five in 2021. However, only 7.49 crore children in this age group were enrolled in Anganwadis and registered on the Poshan Tracker as of February 2025.

Further, out of the 7.25 crore children measured for growth parameters like height and weight, alarming figures were recorded. About 39.09 per cent were found to be stunted, 16.60 per cent were underweight, and 5.35 per cent were wasted, indicating severe malnutrition concerns among young children in the country.