Adoption Alert—Suspension of Adoptions from Ethiopia

This updates our April 21, 2017 Adoption Alert to provide additional information on the Government of Ethiopia’s recent suspension of adoptions.

On April 21, the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s Office declared an immediate suspension of intercountry adoptions. The U.S. Department of State does not yet know how long this suspension will last. The Office of Children’s Issues and the Embassy are working with the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWA) and the Prime Minister’s Office to seek more information on the terms of the suspension. We are urging the Ethiopian government to allow continued processing of cases that were in progress prior to this suspension.

If you have questions about your pending case, please contact your Adoption Service Provider. You may also write to ConsAdoptionAddis@state.gov if you have questions about an adoption-related visa application or immigrant petition. You may copy the Office of Children’s Issues at Adoption@state.gov on your email to the Embassy if you wish.

Please continue to monitor travel.state.gov for updated information on intercountry adoption in Ethiopia.

Adoption Notice: Update on Communication with European Adoption Consultants, Inc.

May 3, 2017

The Office of Children’s Issues is aware that some former EAC clients who followed the instructions in the April 6 Notice have had their correspondence to EAC returned with no forwarding address identified. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office confirmed to the Office of Children’s Issues on May 1, 2017, that individuals whose letters to EAC are returned may wish to submit the correspondence to the agency’s registered agent: John A. Carbone Co. LPA, 614 West Superior Avenue, Suite 800, Cleveland OH 44113. This information is publicly available on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.

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"Dear girls, we miss you so. Your home is here "

ADOPTION FRAUD IN CONGO (2) A VISIT TO THE BIOLOGICAL PARENTS

Author

TEXT: KURT WERTELAERS

Published

A Kinshasa, notre investissement est important dans les orphelinats avec qui nous avons noué des relations.

Nous avons d’ores et déjà effectué des livraisons de vivres et donné des fonds.

Nous apportons un peu de chaleur et d’amitié, les enfants nous reconnaissent, nous font fête quand ils nous revoient. Un atout : « l’appareil photo », magie de se voir dans cette petite boite !

Les sollicitations sont nombreuses : le Bandudu, le Kivu, etc… aujourd’hui un appel par émail pour 50 enfants dans l’Est et… et… et… ! mais il nous faut gérer les priorités.

En préparation depuis de long mois, la Convention de Partenariat entre le Ministère du Genre, de la Famille et de l’Enfant et l’Association Vivre en Famille a été signée au cours de ce séjour.

"No indication of irregularities in adoptions in Flanders"

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By: editors

5/05/17 - 13u48 Source: Belga© Belga.

ADOPTION FRAUD

Why still working with the Congolese Tumaini orphanage and the Belgian-Congolese Julienne Mpemba while Congolese human rights organizations and Interpol already in 2013 possessed information that brought both in connection with the abduction of young children in 2015? That Flemish parliament Lorin Parys (N-VA) wants to know from Minister for Family Jo Vandeurzen (CD & V).

Parys filed Friday in parliament a request for explanation after the news had become known that at least three Congolese "orphans" that were adopted in our country have biological parents in their home country. Those kids came in 2015 in our country through the Tumaini orphanage was run by Julienne Mpemba. They became associated in 2013 with the disappearance and abduction of small children, last year she was arrested in our country but released pending trial.

Adoption Fraud: Congo abducted children end up as "ophans" in Belgium

At least three Congolese 'orphans' who were adopted in our country, have biological parents in their home country. They were kidnapped and placed in an orphanage where they were given false names. The Belgian adoptive parents are oblivious and never knew that their children - Samira, Zakiatu and Jaelle - were stolen from their families. Our reporters searched and found the biological parents in the Congolese bush. The first episode today reads exceptionally free, the rest of the series on Saturday in Het Laatste Nieuws and HLN +.

KURT WERTELAERS BENOIT AND THE FREINE IN CONGO May 5, 2017

When the DRC halted foreign adoptions in 2013 - after far too many stories of abuse - if no child have left the country. At that time, however, there were dozens of adoptions pending. Also in our country. They then tried to filter out fraudulent records - at least that was the intention - and after a long, grueling process, and more than two years of waiting in November 2015 came a dozen Congolese orphans still in our country.

Those children were all from Tumaini orphanage in Kinshasa, an institution run by the Belgian-Congolese Julienne Mpemba (40) from Namur. Since 2012 she had been thirty Congolese orphans linked to adoptive parents in our country. "Never had any problems," she would explain about it. Mpemba incidentally earned thousands of euros to the temporary stop of adoption. "If you want them to be taken care of, you have to pay for it," she told the adoptive parents. "They are your children."

Three Congo adoptions under scrutiny (3)

Govt committee says children may have been taken from families

(foto: ANSA)

© ANSA

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Trafic d'orphelins congolais en Belgique: que s'est-il passé exactement?

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Baptiste Lambert

03-12-16