N-VA asks Vandeurzen (CD&V) to investigate Ethiopian adoption fraud

There must be an independent investigation into the cases of adoption fraud that have surfaced in recent days. This is according to N-VA Flemish Parliament member Lorin Parys. “I am submitting a request for a hearing, and afterwards I want Minister Vandeurzen to conduct an independent investigation. That must be able to start in the coming weeks.”

JBG/LVB

April 30, 2019, 17:00Last update: 30 April 2019, 17:03

Last weekend,  17-year-old Thereza De Wannemaeker from Denderleeuw testified  in Het Laatste Nieuws about the fraud that took place during her adoption from Ethiopia. Her adoption file turned out to contain false information. For instance, her father was wrongly declared dead and her mother was listed as missing.

Following her testimony, other Ethiopian adopted children and parents also came forward with examples of fraud. In some cases, this involves serious errors: parents wrongly declared dead, children pressured to lie about their age, and children falsely presented as brother and sister.

Virtually all files were handled through the adoption agency Ray of Hope and were processed in Ethiopia via the same contact person.

Before the elections

“This must be thoroughly investigated,” says Lorin Parys, Member of the Flemish Parliament and adoption expert at N-VA. “I have requested a hearing in the Flemish Parliament. In the Welfare Committee, I want the victims to be able to tell their story, but I also want an explanation from the adoption agency involved and from the Flemish Centre for Adoption. After the hearings, I will ask the Minister to launch an independent investigation.”

According to Parys, this should still be possible before the end of the legislative term. “I am a Member of Parliament until May 25 and will continue to play that role fully. It must be possible to organize the hearings in the short term and get the investigation underway. That way, the next Parliament will have a thorough report in hand with which it can get to work to take measures.”

I want the victims to be able to tell their story, but I also want an explanation from the adoption agency involved and from the Flemish Centre for Adoption.

Lorin Parys (N-VA)

Conflict of interest?

A conflict of interest threatens to arise within the Welfare Committee. After all, Vice-Chair Katrien Schryvers (CD&V) is also the chair of the adoption agency that has currently come under scrutiny. “I have always warned about that situation,” says Parys. “As a Member of Parliament, you cannot conduct an independent audit of an adoption agency where you are the chair yourself.”

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Meanwhile, 16 testimonies regarding adoption fraud from Ethiopia have already been received by our editorial office, but that number could still rise. Between 1997 and 2017, no fewer than 936 children came from Ethiopia to Flanders. More than 600 came via the adoption agency Ray of Hope and via the controversial Ethiopian contact person Bruk Beyene Ayano.

Several adoptive parents want an investigation into who is responsible for the many errors in the files. That call is now being heard.