The Dutch couple who got themselves involved in a case of child trafficking of a two-week old baby in August 2007 got arrested again. This time by the Dutch authorities.
The two had been in prison in Sri Lanka until October 2008, when they were released on bail. February this year they arrived back in The Netherlands. Their role as witness in the courtcase against the Sri Lankans accused of the trafficking had released them of the charges against them.
According to today's news alleges that the Dutch couple, in October 2008 - so when just out of prison - AGAIN falsified paperwork in an attempt to still adopt the baby.
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Friday, 25 April 2008
Vietnamese 'Orphans' - For Export Only
The US have investigated the Vietnamese adoption system. The outcome is devastating, but to me no surprise. I recognised much of the Romanian 'orphans', created 'For Export Only'.
Since Vietnam and the US sigened a Memorandum of Understanding in 2005 to re-open adoptions (suspended since 2002 because of corruption), the number of adoptable 'oprhans had exploded. Now why was that?
- obligatory donations (= MONEY) of adoption agencies to orphanges
- in return for these donations children needed to be given
Hence the demand created the offer. Just like the Romanian 'point system'.
As a result:
The same story all over again. Similar stories, or some of the elements, could be found in Romania, and can be found in Guatemala, China, Ethiopia and other countries were children can be found for adoption.
Children are not 'waiting' to be adopted, they are not abandoned and in need to be rescued. No, they are 'found' and declared abandoned, because of the demand for adoption.
The countries that adopt from Vietnam: Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and last but not least: the US.
AP Exclusive: US report alleges baby-selling, corruption in adoptions from Vietnam
A summary of the US report can be read on the US Embassy's website
Since Vietnam and the US sigened a Memorandum of Understanding in 2005 to re-open adoptions (suspended since 2002 because of corruption), the number of adoptable 'oprhans had exploded. Now why was that?
- obligatory donations (= MONEY) of adoption agencies to orphanges
- in return for these donations children needed to be given
Hence the demand created the offer. Just like the Romanian 'point system'.
As a result:
the children's background often got faked
parents were paid to place their children in orphanages
parents were told their child would return home at a certain age, or will send them money from the US
children were picked up from the streets by 'child finders; and, against money, handed to orphanages
The advertisements placed to locate the parents, were done in such a way that it was rather unlikely for the parents to see
maternity homes had links with orphanages and paid for children
when mothers could not pay a hospital bill, their child would go for adoption
The same story all over again. Similar stories, or some of the elements, could be found in Romania, and can be found in Guatemala, China, Ethiopia and other countries were children can be found for adoption.
Children are not 'waiting' to be adopted, they are not abandoned and in need to be rescued. No, they are 'found' and declared abandoned, because of the demand for adoption.
The countries that adopt from Vietnam: Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and last but not least: the US.
AP Exclusive: US report alleges baby-selling, corruption in adoptions from Vietnam
A summary of the US report can be read on the US Embassy's website
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Adoption Agencies in a competitive market
The Center for Adoption Policy reports that
With the number of intercountry adoptions going down, adoption agencies are having a hard time. Their organisation, their income, depends fully of adoptions. At least in the US adoption agencies can attempt to increase their national adoptions, as the US has 'adoptable children'. That is not the case in most countries in Europe, or in Israel, where children are rarely 'freed for adoption'.
In Israel The Knesset has acknowlegded the difficulties of the adoption agencies in this highly competitive market. They approved an increase of the cost of foreign adoptions by 75 percent; the maximum payment Israeli agencies can spend on adoptions abroad will be raised from NIS 70,000 ($20,000) to NIS 125,000 ($35.000).
A second decision was to change from dollar payment to euros.
Read the full article Knesset increases costs of foreign adoptions by 75 percent
for the last ten years, Intercountry Adoption has appealed to many U.S families because of its relative reliability, ease and lower costs. However the closing or constriction of almost every international adoption program, including Guatemala, China, Ukraine and Russia, has left American families disillusioned with if not disbarred from participating in ICA. As a result domestic adoption has begun to seem a more reliable and predictable as well as equally affordable alternative.
With the number of intercountry adoptions going down, adoption agencies are having a hard time. Their organisation, their income, depends fully of adoptions. At least in the US adoption agencies can attempt to increase their national adoptions, as the US has 'adoptable children'. That is not the case in most countries in Europe, or in Israel, where children are rarely 'freed for adoption'.
In Israel The Knesset has acknowlegded the difficulties of the adoption agencies in this highly competitive market. They approved an increase of the cost of foreign adoptions by 75 percent; the maximum payment Israeli agencies can spend on adoptions abroad will be raised from NIS 70,000 ($20,000) to NIS 125,000 ($35.000).
A second decision was to change from dollar payment to euros.
Read the full article Knesset increases costs of foreign adoptions by 75 percent
Monday, 7 April 2008
US joined the Hague Convention on Adoption
But will it make a difference?
All adoption agencies were formally screened in order to get a Hague accreditation. It was mainly a peer-review. Some agencies did not make it, but does that really matter?
Perhaps not, as some US agencies have a habit of umbrella-ing, meaning they use other agency's accreditation for their own clients.
Read all about it here:
Janus under the Umbrella
All adoption agencies were formally screened in order to get a Hague accreditation. It was mainly a peer-review. Some agencies did not make it, but does that really matter?
Perhaps not, as some US agencies have a habit of umbrella-ing, meaning they use other agency's accreditation for their own clients.
Read all about it here:
Janus under the Umbrella
Saturday, 22 March 2008
Chinese adoptions - donations
Today Brian Stuy explains 'What the "Donation" Really Is' .
I agree with his conclusion that to increase the fee/donation with 2,000 dollars will only add fuel to the baby-buying problem. Because, think of it, where would directors of orphanages otherwise find the 350 dollars to pay for the purchasing children, as was recently uncovered by the Dutch TV programme Netwerk.
What is interesting is that it are the orphanage directors who seem to decide the amount of the donation. Not the Chinese Central authority.
And it are the adoptive parents who, mostly, directly pay this donation CASH to the orphanage director, not the adoption agency.
And the Central authorities of China and the receiving country look the other way.
Both the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Hague Convention state no unreasonable financial gain can be made on adoptions. Remains to be explained what is reasonable. On one of the Dutch discussion groups I read that in case of a private adoption, the Dutch Ministry of Justice only allows for a 100 dollars donation to the orphanage, otherwise it would be considered corruption. But that rule is obviously not applied in case of Chinese adoptions.
Later more on the donations China receives for medical care for 'orphans'.
I agree with his conclusion that to increase the fee/donation with 2,000 dollars will only add fuel to the baby-buying problem. Because, think of it, where would directors of orphanages otherwise find the 350 dollars to pay for the purchasing children, as was recently uncovered by the Dutch TV programme Netwerk.
What is interesting is that it are the orphanage directors who seem to decide the amount of the donation. Not the Chinese Central authority.
And it are the adoptive parents who, mostly, directly pay this donation CASH to the orphanage director, not the adoption agency.
And the Central authorities of China and the receiving country look the other way.
Both the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Hague Convention state no unreasonable financial gain can be made on adoptions. Remains to be explained what is reasonable. On one of the Dutch discussion groups I read that in case of a private adoption, the Dutch Ministry of Justice only allows for a 100 dollars donation to the orphanage, otherwise it would be considered corruption. But that rule is obviously not applied in case of Chinese adoptions.
Later more on the donations China receives for medical care for 'orphans'.
Thursday, 13 March 2008
Adoption des enfants chinois - un trafic exposé
Courtesy to http://abandon-adoption.hautetfort.com
Résumé Trouw - 11 mars 2008
Les Pays-Bas obtiennent des enfants adoptés d'un foyer chinois par des enfants qui sont pris à leurs parents. Les enfants sont retirés à leurs parents suite à la politique chinoise de l'enfant unique. Selon le journaliste d'investigation Deng Fei, ces enfants sont tombés dans les chaînes de l'adoption. Netwerk a effectué une enquête concernant les adoptions de la province chinoise d'Hunan.ChristenUnie veut un débat urgent avec le ministre Hirsch Ballin de la Justice au sujet de cette affaire et estime que les adoptions venant de la Chine doivent être suspendues.
Ina Hut, directrice de l'organisme d'adoption Wereldkinderen, dit qu'il n'est pas exclu que des enfants enlevés soient aussi arrivés aux Pays-Bas. Les organisations d'adoptions aux Pays-Bas sont préoccupées depuis plusieurs années au sujet de la Chine. Mais elles n'obtiennent pas d'informations du CCAA, l'organe d'adoption central de la Chine.
En mai 2006, le ministère de Justice avait déjà demandé à la Chine des clarifications lorsque que le grand scandale des traffics d'enfants d'Hunan fut découvert. Le gouvernement chinois répondi qu'il n'est seulement question d'erreurs de procédures et qu'aucun enfants n' a été envoyé vers les Pays-Bas. Ceci ressort du rapport de la visite de la délégation de Justice que Netwerk dispose. Mais selon le journaliste Deng Fei et l'avocat des commerçants soupçonnés de traffic d' enfants, les propos rassurants du gouvernement chinois ne sont pas exacts : il s'agirait de centaines et voir jusqu'à des milliers d'enfants qui sont enlevés, négociés, commercialisés.
"Il est permis de s'interrogé sur la valeur de ces déclarations chinoises", affirme René Hoksbergen expert en adoption internationale."La Chine ne veut pas perdre la face, surtout pas alors que les Jeux Olympiques sont en vue. Les témoignages des trois couples chinois à Netwerk sont choquants et j'estime que les Pays-Bas devraient suspendre les adoptions d'enfants chinois. Il ya un doute raisonnable quant à la fiabilité des autorités chinoises. C'est pourquoi la justice doit avoir le courage de dire: nous allons d'abord enquêter pleinement sur cette affaire ", selon Hoksbergen.
Résumé Trouw - 11 mars 2008
Les Pays-Bas obtiennent des enfants adoptés d'un foyer chinois par des enfants qui sont pris à leurs parents. Les enfants sont retirés à leurs parents suite à la politique chinoise de l'enfant unique. Selon le journaliste d'investigation Deng Fei, ces enfants sont tombés dans les chaînes de l'adoption. Netwerk a effectué une enquête concernant les adoptions de la province chinoise d'Hunan.ChristenUnie veut un débat urgent avec le ministre Hirsch Ballin de la Justice au sujet de cette affaire et estime que les adoptions venant de la Chine doivent être suspendues.
Ina Hut, directrice de l'organisme d'adoption Wereldkinderen, dit qu'il n'est pas exclu que des enfants enlevés soient aussi arrivés aux Pays-Bas. Les organisations d'adoptions aux Pays-Bas sont préoccupées depuis plusieurs années au sujet de la Chine. Mais elles n'obtiennent pas d'informations du CCAA, l'organe d'adoption central de la Chine.
En mai 2006, le ministère de Justice avait déjà demandé à la Chine des clarifications lorsque que le grand scandale des traffics d'enfants d'Hunan fut découvert. Le gouvernement chinois répondi qu'il n'est seulement question d'erreurs de procédures et qu'aucun enfants n' a été envoyé vers les Pays-Bas. Ceci ressort du rapport de la visite de la délégation de Justice que Netwerk dispose. Mais selon le journaliste Deng Fei et l'avocat des commerçants soupçonnés de traffic d' enfants, les propos rassurants du gouvernement chinois ne sont pas exacts : il s'agirait de centaines et voir jusqu'à des milliers d'enfants qui sont enlevés, négociés, commercialisés.
"Il est permis de s'interrogé sur la valeur de ces déclarations chinoises", affirme René Hoksbergen expert en adoption internationale."La Chine ne veut pas perdre la face, surtout pas alors que les Jeux Olympiques sont en vue. Les témoignages des trois couples chinois à Netwerk sont choquants et j'estime que les Pays-Bas devraient suspendre les adoptions d'enfants chinois. Il ya un doute raisonnable quant à la fiabilité des autorités chinoises. C'est pourquoi la justice doit avoir le courage de dire: nous allons d'abord enquêter pleinement sur cette affaire ", selon Hoksbergen.
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Chinese Adoption - the Dutch Documentary
This is an extract of the programme, in Dutch. First see the parents and the girl whose twinsister was taken away by Chinese authorites because of the one-child-policy, and adopted abroad. Then the Director of Wereldkinderen (Children of the World) who considers it not impossible these children ended up in the Netherlands; she asks for international investigations. Professor Hoksbergen is of the opinion Dutch adoptions from China need to be (temporarily) halted, as these practices are against The Hague Convention.
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