Liberia: UN Mission in Liberia Press Release 34: Human Rights in Liberia's Orphanages

The following UN press release is quoted in its entirety.

The bold print is mine to emphasize parts of the report related to

• resistance to first family preservation/reunification
• possible international adoption abuses.

Desiree

Source: United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)

Date: 28 Mar 2007
UNMIL launches report on human rights in Liberia's orphanages
UNMIL | Press Release 34

Monrovia, Liberia - UNMIL is pleased to announce the launch of its report “Human Rights in Liberia’s Orphanages”, prepared by the UNMIL Human Rights and Protection Section. Human Rights officers (HROs) surveyed 97 orphanages in 11 counties between July and November 2006. The report highlights key findings of that survey and recommends urgent action to protect separated children who continue to live in unacceptable conditions in orphanages, despite the progress made since 2003 in the establishment of peace and stability in Liberia.

HROs assessed the living conditions in the 97 orphanages against minimum human rights conditions necessary for the enjoyment of child rights, including protection from abuse and neglect. These fundamental human rights are fully binding on Liberia as a State Party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Sadly, living conditions in orphanages, especially those lacking ministerial accreditation, were frequently well below the minimum standards.

Abuses documented in the report include poor hygiene, bedding and clothing, lack of education, lack of access to adequate food and water supply, exploitative child labour, inhuman and degrading treatment and separation from families. Most orphanage proprietors and staff did not have the requisite training in child protection and child care. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW), responsible for the oversight of orphanages, does not have the necessary resources to provide adequate monitoring of conditions and to take action to protect children in these institutions. The delays and challenges encountered by the MOHSW in its programme to close illegal orphanages illustrate the depth of this problem.

The report shows that more than half the children living in the assessed orphanages actually had one or more parents living, or extended family members. Harsh economic conditions facing the community at large have a particularly severe impact on families, with the consequence that many families find themselves tempted to send their children to orphanages. Inducements made to families to surrender their children to orphanages included unfulfilled promises of better education and nutrition, as well as opportunities to migrate to the USA. Orphanage proprietors, a number of whom run their establishments as businesses for profit, stiffly resisted efforts by the MOHSW to reunite these children with their relatives.

In addition to these abuses, the study confirmed that many illegal overseas adoptions were taking place through orphanages, facilitated by weak Government adoption procedures. Such adoptions close any chance of reunification of the child with his or her family and may prevent the child from knowing his or her true identify and cultural background.

The findings of this report are intended to support efforts by the Government of Liberia and civil society to reform and strengthen the national procedures relating to orphanages and adoption. Children are among the most vulnerable in Liberia, and need special attention from both Government and civil society to ensure that they receive the protection they need in order to develop into responsible members of society. The closure of all illegal orphanages, ending of illegal adoptions and the reunification of children with their families are an essential next step towards a better future for all Liberians.

UNMIL PR34 03/28/07

Guatemala: Children Kidnapped from Orphanage/Some Returned

According to news reports, armed kidnappers forced their way into a Guatemalan orphanage in Guatemala City in the middle of the night on Sunday, March 11 and abducted five of the orphanage's youngest children.

The children were presumed to have been kidnapped in order to be sold on the black market.

Don't know if it means anything, but the kidnappings took place the day before US President George Bush was to arrive in Guatemala City.

Among the children stolen was a baby (M) with a cleft palate, whom an American couple, had "nearly finished adopting." The couple had spent several days with her on several different trips and had been expecting final clearance on the adoption "any day now."

Concerned that the child might not be adoptable on the black market because of her condition (which the kidnappers may not have noticed during the nighttime abduction), M's prospective parents were especially worried about what might become of her.

Being told that:

"...no children stolen by black-market adoption brokers in Guatemala had ever been recovered"

...only added to their worries.

Therefore, it was with much relief and surprise that they learned that M and two others of the five abducted children, were returned to the orphanage two days later--again, in the middle of the night.

"That three of the children were returned so quickly after being kidnapped, 'is very unusual,' said Audrey Leonard, director of international adoptions at The Family Network, "But we still have two children missing."

The US State Department has reportedly confirmed the kidnapping and confirmed that three of the kidnapped children have been returned. However, confidentiality policies have prevented them from giving any details of the events, any details about the orphanage involved, or details about the children themselves.

Details about the kidnappings have not been available anywhere in the press. Indeed the only general news source that seems to have covered the kidnappings is the local newspaper in M's prospective parents' hometown.

Lock those doors, post those armed guards. Human children are now as valuable as gold or cash in the markets of the world.

A 2 A.M. Call Brings News of Kidnapping To Adoptive Couple, The Oregonian, 03/14/07

Two Days of Agony Over Reportedly Kidnapped Girl End: 'She's OK,' 03/15/07

Desiree

Mozambique: International Adoption a Cover-up for Sex/Labor Traffickers

According to Lurdes Mabunda, head of the Department of Women and Children in the Ministry of the Interior in Mozambique, international adoption is being used by human traffickers as a false cover to legally smuggle children out of Mozambique for use in the slavery and sex trades. This is possible both because Mozambique has "weak adoption laws" and also because Mozambique has itself, per se, no laws against human trafficking, whether for sex, labor, or adoption.

Mozambique acts both as a source of women and children for sex/labor traffickers and also a transit stop for women and children that have been trafficked from across the African continent.

As far as Mozambique as a source of trafficked person, it is estimated that at least 1000 Mozambican women and children are trafficked to South Africa alone each year for sexual exploitation. Even more women and children fall victim to sexual and slavery each year within Mozambique itself.

Mozambique's children, especially those from rural areas, are easy prey for traffickers because many Mozambican families are extremely poor. With little in the way of opportunities for education and jobs, families are eager to provide a better life for their children. They are also far too trusting of those who appear to "help" them.

"They are easily deceived because of their poverty and they think their children will be given jobs and then take them out of poverty" said Nelly Simbine Chimedza, Counter Trafficking Programme Assistant of Mozambique's International Organization on Migration

Several cases involving the abuse and exploitation of adopted Mozambican children have come to light in the last few years including at least two cases in which Mozambican children who were adopted into the US were allegedly abused and then abandoned, and a case in which a Mozambican girl was adopted into Germany and then apparently, subsequently "disappeared."

Additionally Mozambican officials recently scuttled the international adoption of a Mozambican child by a Spanish based organization after "'suspicious behavior' was observed."

Mozambican officials are nervous about international adoption, which has been on the rise in Mozambique for the past several years, based both on these cases and the reports of its use by human traffickers.

"We do not have the capacity to monitor the welfare of Mozambican children who have been adopted by foreign nationals living outside of the country, and this is a cause for concern"

--Lurdes Mabunda, head of the Department of Women and Children in the Ministry of the Interior in Mozambique

Human traffickers thrive in Mozambique, Citizen.co.za, 03/27/07

,Trafficking thriving in Moz, Sunday Times, 03/28/07

Desiree

India: Kidnappers Arrested in Adoption Racket

Police in Hyderabad, India have uncovered what appears to be a kidnapping for domestic adoption scheme.

It began on Saturday when a woman was captured by residents of Saibaba Nager on as she allegedly tried to abduct a boy from his home.

The woman, identified as Kalki Darmi AKA "Sujatha," was upon investigation found to have allegedly abduced at least four other children. These included:

• Ten month old Yesu Babu who was kidnapped from Madhapur and then sold to a childless couple in Bhiwandi


• Two year old Atheef Khan who was kidnapped from Banjara Hills and then sold to another couple in Bhiwandi


• A child sold to adoptive parents in Medak district, Andhra Pradesh


• A six month old who has not yet had a chance to be identified by his original parents, but who is suspected to be Kartik from Fateh Nagar

Sujatha is the sister of a man named "Narsya" who allegedly was known have been looking for childless couples who wanted to adopt.

According to the The Times of India Online article:

The children had price tags ranging from Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 25,000.

"She sold children like cattle"

(7,500 rupees is about $167 US; 25,000 rupees is about $556 US. This would figure out to about a month's salary for a middle class family; or about a six month's earnings for a poor family)

It would appear that sister and brother had implemented a profitable business. Sister allegedly abducting the babies and brother allegedly providing the same to adoptive parents for a tidy sum.

Kidnapper a cog in adoption racket?, The Times of India Online, 03/26/07

IMO, this story illustrates the idea that healthy young children are monetarily valuable where there exists market demand for them. And because of this, there is financial incentive for the unscrupulous to obtain healthy young children by whatever means possible, to fill this market demand. This is the case even in a country which we in the West usually understand to be teeming with "orphans." The truth also may be that India may not be quite as teeming with (healthy young) orphans as we've been led to believe. It may also have a bigger bevy of infertile, middle class couples who are willing to pay for healthy young children then we've been lead to believe.

Desiree

Nepal: Orphanage Director Arrested for Sexual Abuse

In February, Henk Molhuysen, the Dutch director of a Nepali orphanage was arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing children in his care.

Local Nepali police investigating the case reportedly believe that Molhuysen may have abused "almost all of the 48 children" in the home.

A few weeks after his arrest, press reports confirmed that this man had had earlier convictions for child abuse including one in Spain in 1995 for child rape. He had received an eight year prison sentence for this crime, but apparently did not serve the whole term. Instead, he was returned to the Netherlands where he was released by Dutch authorities two years later.

Molhuysen founded the orphanage--a home for Nepali street children--in Nepal six years later, in 2003. The home is financed by a Dutch foundation.

Initially there was worry that the abused children would end up back on the streets after Molhuysen's arrest, but Childright, another NGO, said that it would keep this from happening. A 19 year old Dutch volunteer assumed directorship of the orphanage after Molhuysen's arrest.

NL charity in Nepal child sex abuse probe, Dutch News.nl, 02/16/07

Abuse suspect has previous convictions, Dutch News.nl, 02/28/07

Desiree

US DOS Issues Notice About Guatemalan Adoption

The US Department of State has just posted this notice about adoption from Guatemala on its website. The notice is quoted in its entirety below.

US Department of State, Notice of March 14, 2007:
Frequently Asked Questions: Prospective Adoptive Parents
of Guatemalan Children

1.Q: I have already begun the process of adopting from Guatemala but have not been matched with a child. After reading the information on your webpage, I am concerned. Do you recommend that I pursue adoption from Guatemala?

A: Although we understand many U.S. families have adopted children from Guatemala in the past, we cannot recommend adoption from Guatemala at this time. The situation in Guatemala has changed. There are serious problems with the adoption process in Guatemala, which does not protect all children, birth mothers, or prospective adoptive parents. The Guatemala government is planning to implement new adoption processing procedures to increase protections. The United States is also scrutinizing individual cases more closely than before. We recommend that you bear these facts in mind when choosing a country from which to adopt.


2.Q: What are the problems in Guatemala?

A: The major U.S. Government concerns about the Guatemalan adoption process include:

Conflicts of Interest: Guatemalan notaries may act as judges and determine a child’s eligibility for adoption and issue a final adoption decree. In the same case where he or she is acting as judge, the notary or his/her staff may also directly interact with birth mothers, solicit consents for an adoption, and handle the referral of the child to prospective adoptive parents. The Department of State does not believe that the notaries, given these multiple roles, can truly act objectively and in the best interests of the various parties.

Lack of Government Oversight: Despite these critical roles in the adoption process, the notaries are largely unregulated. Public oversight is minimal. Particularly in cases in which prospective adoptive parents are told that the birth mother relinquished her rights to her child voluntarily, the U.S. Government is concerned that social services to birth mothers are extremely limited and that their consents may have been induced by money or threats. Monetary incentives and high fees drive completion of the adoption more than protecting the children, the birth parents, and the prospective adoptive parents. The Department is aware of a growing number of cases of adopting parents who have told us that they are being extorted for very large amounts of money by their local representatives in order to complete an adoption.

Unregulated Foster Care: Like the notaries, Guatemalan foster care providers are not regulated or checked by the Guatemalan government for compliance with any standards. Many Guatemalan foster families have demonstrated their love and concern for the children in their care, and American adoptive parents have expressed gratitude for how the foster families cared for the children while the adoptions were in process. Unfortunately, however, the Department of State is also aware of instances of grossly inadequate care for young children in foster home situations. There are cases in which American adoptive families who have completed a Guatemalan adoption later learned that the foster care provider or others in the household had physically or sexually abused the children.

Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption: Guatemala has been a party to the Hague Convention since March 2003, but it has never enacted Hague-consistent legislation or instituted Hague-consistent practices that would provide children the protections that are now lacking. Guatemala has not established the required “central authority” to oversee intercountry adoption processing under the Convention and has not yet taken numerous other steps the Convention requires. The U.S. Department of State, the Hague Permanent Bureau (which oversees the Convention) and other countries have consistently expressed concern about these and other problems with Guatemalan adoptions. In fact, many Hague Convention countries have stopped adoptions from Guatemala.


3.Q: If the United States sees so many problems in the Guatemalan process, why has it continued processing adoption cases and continued to permit Guatemalan children to come to the United States?

A: The U.S. Government continues to process adoption cases, but subjects each case to detailed review. For example, in 1998 the United States instituted mandatory DNA testing for Guatemalan women who stated intentions to relinquish their children. This measure was taken in response to numerous cases in which impostors who were not the children’s actual birth mothers attempted to relinquish rights to children who were not theirs.

Even with DNA testing, however, it has become increasingly clear that the current adoption process in Guatemala does not protect all children adequately. U.S. authorities have therefore increased their scrutiny of all adoption cases. This increased scrutiny means more time will be needed to conduct individual case investigations and that each case will take longer to process. Similarly, more cases may be denied because the facts uncovered during the investigation show the child is not classifiable as an orphan under U.S. law.


4.Q: My agency is very reliable and they tell me that the adoption process they use in Guatemala is good and transparent. Can I rely on their assurances?

A: The Department of State has long advised all prospective adoptive parents, irrespective of the country from which they are hoping to adopt, to fully research any adoption agency or facilitator they plan to use for adoption services. For U.S.-based agencies, prospective adoptive parents should contact the Better Business Bureau and/or the licensing office of the appropriate state government agency in the U.S. state where the agency is located or licensed.

Even if a U.S. adoption agency has an unblemished record with such offices, however, and even if the agency itself is operating completely with the best intentions, the lack of oversight and regulation over the other actors in the Guatemalan adoption process make it extremely difficult for even the most ethical agency to be completely certain that everything has been done in accordance with the law and in the best interests of all the parties.


5.Q: What if I have begun the process of adoption from Guatemala and my child has already been identified? I consider this child my child and I cannot walk away at this point.

A: At this time, the U.S. Embassy is continuing to adjudicate each adoption case based on the merits of the information provided in that individual case. The Embassy, however, will adjudicate each case with even more scrutiny than has been its practice in the past. In addition, Guatemalan authorities have recently indicated that they plan to look more closely at each adoption case. Guatemala has introduced a new manual of adoption good practices. At this time, we cannot predict the full effect of the new manual on current or future cases. We do expect that processing individual cases will take longer due to the necessity of government scrutiny.

6.Q: My agency tells me that it is unlikely that Guatemala will change its adoption laws this year, because of elections and other political factors. Isn’t this good for me, because my case may not be delayed?

A: Adopting a child in a system that is based on a conflict of interests, that is rampant with fraud, and that unduly enriches facilitators is a very uncertain proposition with potential serious life-long consequences. When you decide whether to move forward with adoption in Guatemala, you should consider factors beyond timing. Some American prospective adoptive parents are deciding against adoption from Guatemala now because they do not want to support negative child welfare practices. In addition, a child’s long-term psychological well-being may be affected if the child later learns that his birth family did not freely choose to give him up or that he, and perhaps siblings, were “produced” for the sole purpose of adoption. U.S. parents have also discovered that their adoptive children have undisclosed serious special needs due to inadequate foster care and/or fraudulent medical information.

7.Q: We only want to adopt a child who is truly eligible for adoption and most certainly a child whose birth parents have legally terminated their parental rights. With these goals, can we adopt in Guatemala?

A: For the reasons stated above, we cannot say that the system of adoption currently in effect in Guatemala provides any assurances that your goals can be met.

8.Q: I understand that the process in Guatemala does not adequately protect children, but there are children in the adoption process now who will be hurt if adoptions are stopped abruptly. Will there be a process to help those children?

A: A number of foreign governments and non-governmental organizations have pledged their willingness to help the Government of Guatemala with technical support for a new adoption process with reliable oversight. Many good practices have already been identified.

Stop Exploitation Now

I intend that this blog be, not simply a repository of information about adoption corruption, but also a place that highlights the efforts of fellow fleas who are concretely making a positive difference in the world.

Item 9 of my "What To Do About Adoption Corruption" summary list says, "Find ways to make a difference in terms of the root causes of the "need" for adoption."

Specifically, two of the ways I suggest this can be done follow:

--Find ways to address the contextual root causes of relinquishment, abandonment, and the questionable or illegal sourcing of children in these countries. This could be through sponsoring a family, sponsoring a child, supporting education, supporting an organization that offers education, supporting an organization that empowers local women, or whatever... It could be through urging your government or charities to address issues that you've become aware of; it could be through education of others as to the complexities of issues within countries, or many other things--whatever.

--Realistically speaking, international adoption touches only a tiny fraction of the children who have been separated (for whatever reason) from their family of origin. It will never be a solution for all children or even a sizable portion of the children in any given country. Supporting other in-country solutions for both children who are vulnerable to separation from families of origin (family preservation/prevention strategies) and who have already been separated from their families of origin (solutions other than IA) makes compassionate humanitarian sense.

I recently received an email from an adoptive mother who has combined resources with others and has been doing what she can, in her way with her interests and talents, to address some of the issues of vulnerable children in Cambodia. The result is an organization called Stop Exploitation Now.

According to their website:

Stop Exploitation Now! (SEN) was established to stop the exploitation, abuse, and neglect of women, children, and the disabled in developing countries. We also provide basic support such as food, shelter, healthcare, and educational opportunities to impoverished individuals in Southeast Asia. Our goal is to implement projects that have major and lasting impacts on the lives of those in need.

“Thou shalt not be a victim.
Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander.”

~ Holocaust Museum, Washington DC

Stop Exploitation Now currently has at least four areas of intervention/assistance:

• anti-trafficking


• basic needs support


• development grants


• acid burn victim support

Please take the time to check out Stop Exploitation Now's website (great website and some really beautiful photos)

Stop Exploitation Now!

Desiree

Please note: It is the reader's responsibility to vet an organization before contributing to it. Highlighting it here does not necessarily constitute an endorsement. One place that non-profits can be vetted financially is at GuideStar.org, Connecting People with Non-Profit Information