Udupi: Meet Nik Gugger, an orphan from Udipi, who has now emerged as Switzerland's Member of Parliament and social entrepreneur. Born in Udipi, Karnataka, Gugger was abandoned by his biological parents almost four decades ago. He is the first Indian-origin and youngest MP in Switzerland

On May 1, 1970, a lady delivered a baby boy in Basel Mission hospital of Udupi. However, due to unknown reason, the mother deserted her baby and fled the hospital.

Later, the baby was adopted by a German Missionary couple, Fritz Gugger and Elizabeth Gugger, who used to run an orphanage in Thalassery of Kannur district of Kerala. After four years, Guggers went back to the native country of Switzerland.

However, he is hesitant to find out his biological mother. "'No mother will abandon her child without a strong reason. If I meet my mother now it will be shock to her" says Gugger, who believes in destiny.

Gugger was sworn in as member of Swiss National Council in Bern in November this year. He has been elected as a candidate of the Evangelical Peoples Party. He is one of the youngest members in Swiss Parliment.

Global effort to get kids out of orphanages gains momentum

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Soft toys on the beds and posters on the walls. No more than three children to a room. One of the girls living in the four-bedroom home gushes about getting makeup for her birthday.

In this group home on a leafy street in Bucharest, Romania’s orphanage nightmares seem far away.

The horror stories, along with images of hollow-eyed children lying in row upon row of dilapidated cribs, emerged quickly after the 1989 toppling of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu: shocking accounts of thousands of children beaten, starved and humiliated in overcrowded, underfunded state-run orphanages.

“There was no heating, no windows, no bedding, no running water,” recalled Rupert Wolfe Murray, a British freelance journalist who accompanied an aid convoy that reached an institution for disabled children soon after Ceausescu’s fall. In a single year in the 1980s, 30 children had died of cold, malnutrition and disease, according to records found at the orphanage, said Rupert, who joined the aid effort there after he saw the appalling conditions.

WRITTEN BY

Rahul Chandawarkar

Sunday 13 February 2011 10:25 IST

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Kamola van der Kooij (l) en Naomi Bruinsma zijn als adoptiekinderen in Nederland gekomen. Nu worden ze geconfronteerd met een tombola van emoties. FOTO GERRIT BOER

Kamola van der Kooij (l) en Naomi Bruinsma zijn als adoptiekinderen in Nederland gekomen. Nu worden ze geconfronteerd met een tombola van emoties. FOTO GERRIT BOER

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The six-year-old boy was adopted by a non-Malayali couple four years ago

A child who was adopted by a non-Malayali couple from the adoption centre of the Kerala State Child Welfare Council at Thycaud here has been brought back following allegations of abuse.

The child was allegedly being physically abused by the adopted mother.

The boy, a six-year-old, was adopted by the couple nearly four years ago. A year ago, a complaint was received at the council about the boy being hit by the mother.

The parents were called in and given counselling and warned against any further abuse.

Special Advisor for Children's Issues to Travel to Japan and the Republic of Korea

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Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

European Adoption Consultants (EAC) Temporary Debarment Upheld

December 15, 2017

On December 16, 2016, the Department temporarily debarred European Adoption Consultants, Inc. (EAC) for a period of three years. As part of the debarment process, EAC was given an opportunity to dispute the Department’s temporary debarment action. EAC requested a hearing and presented its case through written submissions and an administrative hearing held October 23-26, 2017. On December 13, 2017, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Carl Risch upheld the Department’s temporary debarment of EAC. The temporary debarment will remain in effect until December 15, 2019, at which time EAC may apply to the Secretary for withdrawal of the debarment. In the interim, EAC is prohibited from providing any adoption services in any intercountry adoption cases.

Taking note of a large number of abandoned infants who are left in dustbins, in parks or on footpaths by parents unwilling to support them, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has joined hands with a city NGO to raise awareness about safe spots where parents unwilling to bring up their newborn can leave the latter for adoption.

Social workers feel that access to better nodal points will ensure an ailing child is not left prone to infections when abandoned by their parents. In several instances, abandoned newborns are found near railway tracks, at railway stations and near garbage bins by mothers who find it difficult to bring up the child.

Health officials claim such children need proper medical care and may contract infection due to poor immunity.

BMC conducted an awareness drive regarding abandonment of infants for 40 health workers in two health posts and five dispensaries in B ward (Sandhurst Road) last week. “People don’t know what to do when they find an abandoned child. The community needs to be made aware about what to do when they find an abandoned child,” said Dr Vilas Mahokar, medical officer, B Ward.

Health workers were trained to educate people about surrendering a child at NGOs empanelled with government for adoption of children. Health workers have also been given contacts of volunteers who aid in adoption procedures. “Lack of awareness about a safer alternative and easy access to them, are the reasons that deprive the child of a safe passage to rehabilitation through adoption. A lot of children, our volunteers find, are left to die in

The Delhi High Court came to the rescue of a child-less Indian-origin couple from Germany who had been unable to take their adopted child back home thanks to a maize of cumbersome rules governing inter-country adoptions.

Sneha Agrawal | Posted by Dev Goswami

New Delhi, November 16, 2017 | UPDATED 03:53 IST

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Germany-based Dalip Arora and his wife with their adopted son.Germany-based Dalip Arora and his wife with their adopted son.