Ethiopia bans all international adoptions

Americans want to BUY another person's child but not put that $40,000 into building clinics, schools, and training centers for the people of Ethiopia to dig their way out of poverty and corruption.  Americans are the most selfish of people on the planet.  

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-adoption-ban/ethiopia-adoption-ban-may-curb-trafficking-but-poorest-families-need-support-idUSKBN1F427L

NAIROBI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A ban on the adoption of Ethiopian children by foreigners could curb child abuse and trafficking, but more support is needed for vulnerable families within the impoverished country, experts said on Monday.

Ethiopia is one the biggest source countries for international adoptions by U.S. nationals, with about 20 percent of all adopted children coming from the east African nation, according to the U.S. State Department.

Hollywood celebrities Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are among those who have adopted children from Ethiopia.

Child rights groups cite cases of“child harvesting” where adoption agencies unethically recruit minors for adoption by fraudulently altering paperwork to cast children with families as orphans whose parents had died or abandoned them.

In many instances, parents who cannot afford to look after their children consent to foreign adoption under the mistaken impression that it is like boarding school and they would maintain contact with their children, only to find out later that this is not the case.

Amid concerns that overseas adoptions fuel a trade in children from poor families and put them at risk of abuse, or being trafficked into slave-like conditions, parliament passed legislation on Jan. 10 banning inter-country adoption.

“Ethiopia has negative experiences with foreign adoptions, particularly in regard to child laundering, child harvesting, and children taken from families primarily due to poverty,” said David Smolin from the Center for Children, Law and Ethics at Samford University in the United States.

“Ethiopia’s ban on foreign adoptions is a reasonable response to past problems and to the need to focus efforts on assisting vulnerable children within Ethiopia.”

While many Ethiopian children have thrived due to inter-country adoption, there have been cases where they have faced abuse, and even death, at the hands of adoptive families.

In 2013, a couple in the U.S. were convicted of killing an adopted 13-year-old Ethiopian girl. The crime sparked debate about foreign adoption in a nation where families are forced to give children up due to a lack of money to care for them.

But under international law, poverty should not be a grounds for international adoption, and efforts instead should be made in assisting families to stay together, say experts.

The revised law encourages local adoption, family reunification and reintegration to enable children to grow up within the country, said the state-run Ethiopian News Agency.

Adoption experts emphasized that Ethiopia will need to follow-up the ban with increased efforts to assist vulnerable families within the country, and provide them with the resources to adequately care for their children.

“The most important thing is for the children involved to have permanency, in families,” said Adam Pertman, president of the U.S.-based National Center on Adoption and Permanency and author of“Adoption Nation”.

“The first choice is within their own family of origin, their own community and their own country,” he added.

Reporting by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, Editing by Ros Russell. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit news.trust.org

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Joint Council of International Children Services JCICS CLOSURE ; "What went wrong"

My personal thoughts and dealings with JCICS- For 40 Years, JCICS grew as international adoptions peaked in the USA (2005) to over 22,000 children adopted by Americans. Unfortunately during this time, JCICS also had a growth of many adoption agency "members" that sprang up literally because of no oversight in many countries. Guatemala, Bulgaria, Romania, Ethiopia et al adoption fueled the growth of many agencies literally opening up from the kitchen table operations. Overall, I personally didn't have any issues with their "transparency" their complaints and grievances department, helped me to file a complaint on one of their members "Across the the World Adoptions" despite warning me that they have never taken action "against" a member. They rather suggested to this agency they follow a set of protocols and be transparent with their clients that conforms with state Health and Human Services laws and Federal Laws. They actually admitted to me they had grown so fast due to the lack of oversight on many international adoptions. In hindsight, my only complaint with the Joint Council on International Children Services was their inability to tame the bad unprofessional behaviors of it's members who between 2003-2007 were making upwards of $1 million a year in adoption services that amounted to nothing more than purchasing relinquishment rights from poor mothers, and taking advantage of poor nations. When I called them about Armenia and other countries not having a central authority and an investigative arm that looked at the availabilty or family status of the children, they worked with the Ministry of Social Affairs for children to insure that all children available for adoption were in fact properly relinquished and not the 99% social orphans. Also the nasty habit of adoption agencies identify a pregnant women BEFORE birth of the child being promised to a client are over. Sorry to see JCICS go but the trend of open adoption is vanishing and the Hague will eventually be a requirement by ALL countries who allow adoptions to the USA. This means Japan, Bulgaria, Guyana, Serbia and others will be forced to have protocols in place and not make up rules as they go for an agent of some Adoption Service Provider (ASP). ASPs will continue to make it look like the world is overburden with poor orphans and that every day 200 more orphans are born. But what they leave out with their glossy fraud and cheap advertising of children is they ALL HAVE parents, the problem is being born into poverty. Many ASPs believe their clients are better suited to raise a poor woman's child and turn the head that 1 customer paying $40,000 to adopt/purchase a child could support a woman in business in many countries for 8-10 years. Alas, the greed and self-serving interests of Adoption Service Providers had to find out the hard way as business is shrunk 92% and more and more agencies close their doors due to they cannot run a business playing by the rules TRANSPARENCY.

 For 40 years, the Joint Council on International Children’s Services advanced the overall well-being of vulnerable children and their right to live in permanent family care. Originally formed in 1975 as an association of adoption agencies, the organization eventually evolved over its storied history into an international child welfare organization focused on ending the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable children—those without the love and protection of a forever family. In July 2015, Joint Council closed its doors. It was a shocking surprise, made as an announcement during the Annual Conference. I stood on the dais as the Interim Executive Director looking over the crowd of 450 individuals representing organizations all over the world focused on adoption and child welfare. The questions of Why? How? and What does this mean for “us”? started that morning, and I still wake up to emails in my inbox asking “now what?” I don’t have all the answers. For decades, our deeply committed staff worked around the clock to ensure that the children we served, those without the love and protection of a forever family, realized the right to a permanent home. However, over time we were unable to continue this good work for several reasons. I believe there are lessons from our closure the community can take to ensure the work continues and other organizations can continue fulfilling their missions of ensuring that children live in families. Two of the most critical lessons learned are as follows: 1. We need more support for adults who were adopted as children. Joint Council’s staff regularly received inquiries from birth parents who placed children for adoption, adults who were adopted as children searching for their families of origin, and adoptive families who wanted to assist their children in a reunion with their birth parents. According to the Adoption History Project at the University of Oregon, there are approximately 5 million Americans alive today who were adopted. We regularly sent these individuals to Adoption.com to educate themselves on the process, as well as the steps they could take when they reached dead ends. They regularly shared with us that the search and reunion process became a full time job, and for many with whom we came in contact, this was not their first go at search and reunion. The process is overwhelming, bringing many emotions to the surface. The process can be expensive. Many times the staff felt helpless in our offers of support. Since leaving Joint Council, I have joined my husband at Trustify, where we regularly help individuals in the search and reunion process at a nominal cost to our clients. It has been an interesting and seamless move for me professionally. I find so much joy working with individuals and the private investigators who help facilitate this search and reunion. The search process can be overwhelming, and it has given me purpose in taking the burden off the individual and giving it to the investigator who can help make reunions a reality. 2. We need to Help Adoption Service Providers Adapt to Changing Environments Intercountry adoptions have been on the decline for the last 5 years. After hitting a peak of 22,734 intercountry adoptions in 2005, the number of adoptions dropped to 6,441 last year. That’s the lowest number of intercountry adoptions since the early 1980s. In 2007, Joint Council worked with more than 250 adoption service providers, but as of January, the number of our Partners dropped to the historical low of 140, many of whom were not ASPs. Agencies are spread thin and need support navigating the ever-evolving policies and procedures coming out of Washington, DC and foreign governments. Resources and time are finite. Travel is expensive. Relationships with government officials take years to cultivate. One of the greatest services provided by Joint Council was advocacy. We represented the agency in Congress, at Department of State and USCIS. Over time Joint Council lessened its focus on supporting agencies in their critical work of ensuring that every child realizes their intrinsic right to a forever family. I believe we watered down our message and focus. We stopped programs and services that supported the work of our partners. As a community, we need to do more to support child welfare organizations that are placing children, serving the children already placed into families, and supporting their families. I am hopeful the organizations continuing the important work of serving adoption service providers will focus on their very specific needs so that more children can find their forever families. What is next? Looking back, I can see that we should have engaged adults who were adopted, supporting their specific and unique needs and refocused on offering support to adoption service providers, helping them to strengthen the work they do for the world’s orphans and vulnerable children. Had we been more aggressive in these efforts, Joint Council may still be operating today. People who work in the child welfare field do not need to look at Joint Council’s closure with anxiety or fear of the future. There are millions of children who need to realize their right to a safe, loving forever family both in the US and abroad. The work continues. It must continue. The key is building a community, which will support the children, adults, and families who were adopted and the organizations that place and serve them. What do you believe are the ways we can better support the adoption community?

  Jennifer Mellon has worked in the children welfare field for more than a decade, serving in varying capacities as the Executive Director, Member Manager, and Chief Development Officer at Joint Council on International Children’s Services. She also worked for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) and served on the Board of the Campagna Center, which provides critical educational services to children and families in the DC Metro region. She is the founder of two start-up companies and lives in Washington, DC with her husband Danny Boice and their 5 children. http://adoption.com/joint-council-what-went-wrong

Armenian Adoption Adventure, Senator McCaskill meets with real life heroine of oscar nominated film "Philomena" discuss ways to unite Irish children seperated from their families via Adoptions

Senator McCaskill meets with real heroine of academy award nominated "Philomena" to
discuss ways to unit children stolen from Irish mothers for adoption to US Families

 

 

 

http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2014/01/30/mccaskill-talks-international-adoption-issues-with-heroine-of-oscar-nominated-film/

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today met with Philomena Lee to discuss Irish adoption laws and Philomena’s work to reunite American children separated from their Irish families through forced adoption. The story of Philomena’s decades-long search for the son who was forcibly adopted and raised by a family in St. Louis, Mo., is the subject of a recent book and Oscar-nominated film.

“Philomena’s story is heart-wrenching, and she has one of the most just causes you could possibly have—the simple premise that if a child is taken from a mother against her will, there should be an easy way to reconnect with that child,” McCaskill said. “Unfortunately in Ireland, for many years there was a repugnant practice of children taken from their young mothers, put in a home, and when the child got a certain age, shipped off to America to new parents. I have a blended family of seven children. All of my husband’s children from his first marriage are adopted, and we are fortunate in that his oldest son has reconnected with his birthmother—we know and socialize with her, and they have a wonderful relationship. So I know firsthand how important it is to keep those doors open and to allow the transparency and availability of adoption records so that children and parents can have the opportunity to reunite when it is their life’s wish.”

Philomena and her daughter Jane Libberton were inspired to take action on the issue of forced adoption by the recent outpouring of support surrounding the true story of Philomena’s decades-long search her son, who was taken from her while living at the Sean Ross Abbey in Rosecrea, Ireland. Philomena and her son Anthony were deliberately kept apart and never reunited, despite the fact each was actively looking for the other.

Sitting alongside McCaskill today, Philomena and her daughter talked about her family’s story.

“He died thinking I abandoned him,” Philomena said of her son. “But I know he’s now at peace.”

Philomena and her daughter created the Philomena Project in association with the Adoption Rights Alliance. The Philomena Project aims to prevent similar tragedies and reconcile families that were separated under similar circumstances in honor of Anthony’s memory. It is calling on the Irish government to make adoption records public and transparent as swiftly as possible.

 



Armenian Adoption Adventure, 4 academy award nominations for "Philomena" true story of children stolen into International Adoption

http://philomenamovie.com/

 

Philomena is the true story of one mother’s search for her lost son, taken by International Adoption

Falling pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena was sent to the convent of Roscrea to be looked after as a “fallen woman”. When her baby was only a toddler, he was taken away by the nuns for adoption in America. Philomena spent the next fifty years searching for him in vain.

Then she met Martin Sixsmith, a world-weary political journalist who happened to be intrigued by her story. Together they set off for America on a journey that would not only reveal the extraordinary story of Philomena’s son, but also create an unexpectedly close bond between them.

The film is a compelling narrative of human love and loss and ultimately celebrates life. It is both funny and sad and concerns two very different people, at different stages of their lives, who help each other and show that there is laughter even in the darkest places.

The book “The Lost Child Of Philomena Lee” was published in 2009. It acted as a catalyst for thousands of adopted Irish children and their ‘shamed’ mothers to come forward to tell their stories. Many are still searching for their lost families.

Sadly, this same true story plays out in today’s world where poor mothers particular those that are single have little option but to relinquish their children for cash.  Us Armenians know this story all too well and this behavior continues although it has been curtailed with more procedures and additional layers of checks and balances. 

In Ireland the Catholic Church was responsible for much of this, separating the children from their mothers and unlawfully detaining the mothers in work laundry.  They church took possession of their children and without the mother’s permission sold the children into Adoption, mostly to Americans.

How is it that a woman with money in the west can abuse the rights of a poor single woman in a country where their rights are not heard?  Watch the movie it is great and up for 4 academy awards. 

 

 

Armenian Adoption Adventure, 48 hours January 18, 2014 expose on International Adoption (Abduction) fraud

Maureen Maher and 48 Hours investigate the sometimes-shady business of international child adoptions and the lengths families will go to bring children home to the United States in "Perilous Journey," to be broadcast Saturday, Jan. 18 (10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

CLICK HERE FOR A PREVIEW
The investigation reveals the extraordinary journey of one family to adopt two children from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the questionable practices of the U.S.-based adoption agency they'd chosen, as well as the harrowing story of one woman's attempt to adopt a child from Guatemala - through the same agency - and allegations of child trafficking against Guatemalan nationals that emerged afterward.

"We knew that international adoption is challenging. We were naïve in how much real trouble there is," says adoptive parent Ryan Owen, an Army officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Maher follows Owen and his wife, Jeri Lynn, who live at Fort Campbell, Ky., with three sons of their own, as they travel to Kinshasa and discover just what a perilous journey overseas adoption can be. The Owens began working on the adoption through Celebrate Children International (CCI), a small Florida agency, run by Sue Hedberg.
"Children need to be in families, not in institutions," Hedberg tells 48 HOURS. "Many of these children would die if it wasn't for adoption."

But the Owens' relationship with CCI began to deteriorate when their adoption process inexplicably stalled and they started hearing disturbing things about Hedberg's Congolese lawyer. The Owens took matters into their own hands, hiring their own attorney and travelling to the Congo to try to complete the adoption themselves. "I love these kids enough to do whatever it takes to get them home - whatever it takes," Jeri Lynn tells 48 HOURS.

The Owens, who named their daughters Ava and Zoey, are not alone in their struggle to get children from abroad or to raise questions about the process. Nor are they alone in their questions about Sue Hedberg, who sent 48 Hours a written statement through a representative maintaining, "each and every adoption undertaken by CCI was, and is, in strict compliance with the laws of the United States and the laws and regulations of the originating nation at the time of the adoption."

Betsy Emanuel, a Tennessee mother of five adopted children, talks with Maher about her attempt to adopt a child from Guatemala, also through Hedberg's agency CCI. Emanuel fell in love with a girl named Maria Fernanda, after seeing her in a video CCI sent her. Shortly thereafter, CCI offered her Maria Fernanda's newborn sister, Ana Christina. Emanuel couldn't afford to adopt two children, so she kept going with the adoption of Maria Fernanda - until one day, she says, a representative of CCI told her the girls' mother had resurfaced and, accompanied by armed men, demanded the children back.
"I knew something was wrong," Emanuel tells 48 HOURS.

Having already invested heavily with CCI, Emanuel adopted a different child through the agency. Around the same time, she learned Maria Fernanda and her sister were again being offered for adoption, though this time not by CCI. Preoccupied with the girl, she later searched online for Maria Fernanda's name and found a Guatemalan newspaper story about children who had been abducted for adoption. The story included Maria Fernanda and her sister. Emanuel was stunned to read the girls' mother, Mildred Alvarado, had been looking for them for more than a year. Emanuel immediately got involved in exposing problems within the Guatemalan adoption system.

In an emotional interview with Maher in Guatemala, Alvarado recalled how she was coerced to give up her 3-year-old daughter, Maria Fernanda, being told that it was temporary. Then, she says, she was duped into undergoing an early C-section to deliver her daughter, Ana Christina. When she awoke, she was taped to the bed and the newborn was gone. More than a year later, Emanuel would help reunite the family when she found the article and Guatemalan authorities gave Mildred Alvarado her children back.

More than five years later, Maher travels with Emanuel to Guatemala to meet Alvarado, and her two girls, for the first time.

48 HOURS: "Perilous Journey" features interviews with the Owens, Emanuel, CCI supporters Brian and Sarah Grandstaff, Mildred Alvarado, and Susan Jacobs, the State Department's special representative for children's issues. 48 HOURS: "Perilous Journey" is produced by Joshua Yager, Doug Longhini, Jonathan Leach and Ana Real. Kathleen O'Connell is the development producer. Peter Schweitzer is the senior producer. Susan Zirinsky is the senior executive producer.

http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Scoop-48-HOURS-on-CBS-Saturday-January-18-2014-20140116

Chat with members of the 48 Hours team during the broadcast on Twitter and Facebook.

EXCELLENT SEGMENT OF 48 HOURS, LIVE FOOTAGE OF SUE HEDBERG OF CCI (CELEBRATE CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL) WHO HAS BEEN DENIED HAGUE ACREDIATION 2 TIMES.  CAUGHT ON FILM TRYING TO HUSTLE CHILDREN IN NON HAGUE COUNTRIES, GUATEMALA, ETHIOPIA AND CONGO.  BY JULY 2014 THE US STATE DEPARTMENT IS REQUIRING ALL IN COUNTRY FACILITATORS TO BE ACREDIATED AS WELL AS THE AGENCY.  SUE HEDBERG'S SALARY WAS OVER $1 MILLION THE LAST FOUR YEARS AND HER AGENCY'S REVENUE WAS OVER $12 MILLION.   2014 WILL BE THE YEAR THAT CCI  CLOSES.  http://www.cbsnews.com/common/video/cbsnews_player.swf 

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