The French and the Adoption Market

With courtesy to ABANDON & ADOPTION where the full text can be read in French.

ADOPTION, THE PRACTICE OF "ENVELOPES" DIVISES

The French adoptive families are increasingly faced with requestf for "gifts" to the adoption countries. The Associations
affected by this are divided on the practice. The President of the French Adoption Agency, Yves Nicolin, outraged Enfance et Famille d’Adoption, the main association of adoptive families, when he recently mentioned, seeming justifying the practice of requesting "envelopes" from families at the time they receive the child: "I am not there to promote a practice, but it is reality, we must break the taboo and help families by indicating the reasonable sum.
Adopters "are free to give or not, but, those who do not give or do not give sufficiently, must know that they are -- quotation marks – putting "at risk" the adoption of prospective adopters, Yves Nicolin said on radio on August 27.

For the association EFA, this "value” given to unofficial donations is not welcome,
while adoption is regularly suspected of financial and ethical abuses, based on the strong demand.

"Giving more, to adopt more»

While it is "normal" to help the countries of origin, "without returns”
"to create child protection services or to support families, "it should in no way encourage them to monetize their children and create human distress," she counters. "It is abnormal that the president of a public authority encourages himself an attitude which could be summarized with the motto "give more, to adopt more" "
adds the association, who refers to the risk that international adoption
"market economy"….

The number of adoptions in France has dropped 20% in two years(3,162 in 2007 against 4,136 in 2005).

China's Adoption Myth further unraveled

Some Chinese parents say their babies were stolen for adoption

In some rural areas, instead of levying fines for violations of China's child policies, greedy officials took babies, which would each fetch $3,000 om adoptions.

By Barbara Demick
September 19, 2009

reporting from Tianxi, China - The man from family planning liked to prowl around the mountaintop village, looking for diapers on clotheslines and listening for the cry of a hungry newborn. One day in the spring of 2004, he presented himself at Yang Shuiying's doorstep and commanded: "Bring out the baby."

Full article HERE

Suspension of adoptions from Ethiopia:

Netwerk TV yesterday evenening announced the suspension of adoptions from Ethiopia:

The biggest adoption agency from the Netherlands, Wereldkinderen, stops per immediately with adoption procedures from Ethiopia because of a new adoption scandal.

From research done by the organisation it appears that the background information of the adopted children is not always in line with the information in the files.

In a number of cases the mothers of the childern appeared to be alive, while in the files it was mentioned they were dead.

It is the so-manieth scandal in the adoption world. Recently the former director of Wereldkindren resigned after she was intimidated by the Ministry of Justice because of research into adoption irregularities in China.

This comes head over heels on the Australian revealing documentary FLY AWAY CHILDREN

Guest Blogger

Today I am guest blogger of my mother's blog. My name is Anne-Catherine and I am seventeen years old. I gave up breakfast and lunch for two days's, not three, as we are on holiday in lovely Greece with a large group of friends and I don't want to lose my good mood!

I do have dinner as we go out to restaurants every night, but it does not help to eat a whole lot as I only get more hungry the next day. It's very hot and we're trying to be not too active. It has been hard at times but I noticed quickly that hunger passes.

Whenever I thought I could not handle it any more, I brushed my teeth, swam or read a book. As long as you're distracted it's not so bad! Once, I was floating on the water on an inflatable mattress, sobbing while thinking of chicken souvlaki and ice-creams, so my mother swam to me to bring me an orange juice and reminding me of the purpose of the hunger strike. I thought of those mothers and many more in the world who are missing their children and how lucky I am to be lying here in a swimming pool, enjoying the sun, on holiday with friends and family.

Even though I am only doing this for two days instead of three, I am glad I did this. I really do hope that this international hunger strike results into something good and at least brings the cases in the news! I've heard enough about these cases to know how horrifying the industry behind adoption is and so I had no doubts when I spontaneously joined my mother in this strike.

HUNGER STRIKE TO BRING DAUGHTERS BACK HOME

Today I join the INTERNATIONAL HUNGER STRIKE that was called to support three mothers in Guatemala in getting back their stolen daughters. These daughters were adopted by US families.


In joining this international hunger strike I will fast for three days in the hope that it might help forcing the US side to take appropriate action: to give back these daughters to their mothers.

I am writing these lines from a beautiful terrace in Greece, where I am currently on holiday with my daughter. This makes me realise even more the difference in situation with these mothers whose children were taken away from them against their will, and sold through the children market for intercountry adoption.



Not only am I in a position to enjoy a luxury time off, I also never had to be afraid to lose my child to intercountry adoption because children for this are taken from poverty stricken mothers in countries where the rights of women and children are systematically broken.

These three days I will dedicate not only to the mothers in Guatamala, but also to all other mothers who lost their children unwillingly to intercountry adoption. Mothers in Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Vietnam and so on...

I am proud my daughter spontaneously joined the hunger strike too. She will be my Guest Blogger one of the next days.

Three Days/Three Daugthers

September 1, 2, 3, 2009. Join Us.

Imagine if your child was kidnapped.

Imagine when you reported this to authorities, you were ignored, bullied and dismissed.

Imagine thinking you would never see your child again. And that you could do nothing about it.

Three Days for Three Daughters is an international hunger strike to be held on September first, second and third. The strike is named after three girls who were kidnapped from their three mothers in Guatemala. These mothers, like hundreds of other mothers and fathers in developing nations, wait without answers, help or justice.
In continuation of the hunger strike that was started by Norma Cruz and Fundacion Sobrevivientes in Guatemala on July 15, we are striking for three days, one day for each daughter, to seek justice for the mothers in Guatemala, and to bring attention to the problem of child trafficking in international adoption.

For further info - see previous posting
GUATEMALA'S STOLEN CHILDREN