Showing posts with label Robin Sizemore. Show all posts

Friday, July 30, 2021

International and Armenian Adoptions fall to a record low in 2019

2019 Armenian Adoptions were 4

Here is a snapshot of the decline

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/Intercountry-Adoption/Intercountry-Adoption-Country-Information/Armenia.html

TOTAL 2019 International Adoptions to the USA 3,049

25% decrease

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Hopscotch Adoptions ASP accreditation to expire in November 2020 #RobinSizemore #BennetKelley

Robin Sizemore hired 2 attorneys to help facilitate her accreditation extension. Hopefully IAAME does their diligence

https://www.iaame.net/accreditation/accredited-approved-agencies-persons/

Robin likes to pay top money in legal fees to protect her adoption scams, paid a lot to try and silence me 2009 and 11 years later you will never censor me or your corrupt Attorney that is going to be escorted out of California #BennetKelley

Click here for IAAME accreditation

More on Robin Sizemore's licensing issues here Click for Robin Sizemore Hopscotch license issues

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Hopscotch Adoptions 2017 Tax Returns #RobinSizemore #ArmenianAdoptions #BennetKelley

5 year snapshot exceeds $2.2 million I bet Bennet Kelley hasn't made that kind of money the last 15 years of his career.

Hopscotch Adoptions 2017 Tax Returns #RobinSizemore from Vanessa Kachadurian

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Adoption Scandal in Armenia & statistics #RobinSizemore #HopscotchAdoptions #OpenTheRecords #SOAR

OPEN THE RECORDS ROBIN SIZEMORE
LET THE BIRTH MOTHERS FIND THEIR CHILDREN!!!
https://hetq.am/en/article/112045

Diana Ghazaryan

Ani Hovhannisyan

9:00 AM, 14 Jan 2020

Adoption Scandal in Armenia: Adoption Data and Statistics

In November 2019, Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) reported that it had launched a criminal investigation into numerous cases of foreigners illegally adopting Armenian children between 2016 and 2018.

Razmik Abrahamyan, director of the country’s Institute of Reproductive Health, Perinatology, Obstetrics, and Gynecology, and his deputy, Arshak Jerejyan, Anush Garsantsyan were charged with Article 167 (Illegal separation of the child from the parents or substitution of the child) and Article 200 (Commercial bribe) of the Criminal Code.

Another defendant in the case, Yerevan Children’s Home Director Liana Karapetyan, was charged with Article 167 and Article 314 (Official forgery).

All three were later released from detention on bail.

Hetq has studied data on adoptions in Armenia for the past ten years. Here are some interesting facts from the statistics of adoption.

1 ․ Errors, edits, and inconsistencies in state statistics

Data provided by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the National Statistical Committee (NSC) on children adopted from Armenia over the past ten years do not match. According to the Ministry, 634 children have been adopted, while NSS mentions 849 children. The difference between these numbers is 215; not a small number. The biggest difference in statistics is observed in 2010 and 2011.

To explain the discrepancy in the statistics, Hetq contacted both institutions. The NSC replied that the source of their information on adoptions was the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the administrative body in the sector, and therefore the administrative register.

The Ministry provides data to the NSC on a semi-annual basis. If the NSC received data from the Ministry that was subsequently amended by the Ministry, some edits might be backdated.

"I can't comment on your observation that there was some kind of interference at some point, because I think law enforcement bodies can make such an assessment after doing some research," Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Zhanna Andreasyan told Hetq.

Andreasyan noted that the discrepancy in the statistics had also led the ministry to question the legality of some adoptions and appeal to law enforcement agencies. "We were also concerned about the difference in numbers because numbers are a means of control, and when there is a problem with them, it turns out that control over the situation is not a complete one," Andreasyan said.

She added that the Ministry is currently working on more accurate, efficient data collection and processing solutions.

2 ․ The majority of children adopted by foreigners had health issues

Until 2016, data from the NSC did not identify the health status of adopted children. However, the analysis of the data for 2016-2018 shows that the overwhelming majority of children adopted by foreigners were considered to have health issues: 86 percent of adopted children had health problems and 14 percent did not. At the same time, 78 percent of children adopted by Armenian citizens were healthy and 22 percent had health issues.

3. Most children were below 6 years

Adoptive parents mostly adopted young children. 85% of adopted Armenian citizens were 0-6 years old: 124 children were 6-12-months-old; 311 children were 1-6-year-old. The remaining age groups make up a small percentage.

This analysis of the data shows that children adopted from Armenia were mainly born to single mothers or had parents. Moreover, the state agencies organizing the adoption process have given preference to foreign adopters. Most of the children were sent to Italy and the United States. Most children sent abroad were considered to have health issues. The state was not interested in the fate of the adopted children.

In response to our query as to whether there was any oversight over the future status of children adopted by foreigners, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that they did not have the function of overseeing the children of the Armenian citizens adopted abroad. We have received a similar response from the Ministry of Justice, stating that they do not exercise direct control over the care of the adopted child. "Information on the living conditions of the adopted child shall be collected in accordance with the legislation of the country concerned, by the competent authorities or accredited organizations in that country," the Ministry of Justice stated.

4 ․ Foreign adoptive parents were always prioritized, which is against the law

Armenia’s Family Code stipulates that the adoption of Armenian citizens by foreign nationals and stateless persons, as well as Armenian citizens residing outside of Armenia, is permitted only when there is no opportunity for these children to be raised in the families of Armenian citizens permanently residing in the Republic of Armenia or be adopted by relatives.

According to the NSC, 48 percent (1361) of those wishing to adopt in the last 10 years were from Armenia, and 52 percent (1493) were foreign nationals (12:13 ratio). However, only 18% (116 people) of those who adopted were citizens of Armenia, while 82% (518 people) were foreign nationals (9:41 ratio).

Thus, foreign adoptive parents were always prioritized.

5 ․ Most of foreigners adopting Armenian children were from Italy and the U.S.

In 2008-2018, about 50 percent (434) of children adopted by foreign nationals went to live in Italy and 45 percent (391) - the United States.

According to the official statistics, children were also adopted by citizens of France (37), Switzerland (7), Canada (6) and Germany (3).

6 ․ Most of the adopted children are from Yerevan

Sixty percent of children adopted within the last ten years were from Yerevan. Most of them were adopted from the Yerevan Children’s Home SNCO.

7. Most of the adopted children had living parents

In 2008-2018, 44 percent of adopted children were born to single mothers, 30 percent had two parents, and 20 percent were children without parental care. Thus, the adoption policy was not aimed at providing care for children without parents or parental care, but for adopting children born to single mothers or coming from families with many children.

Back in 2015, United Nations Special Rapporteur Ms. Maud de Boer-Buquicchio talked about child adoption issues in Armenia. "Irregularities committed in adoption processes, which can amount to sale of children for the purpose of illegal adoption, continue to be a major concern in the country," she said.

Robin Sizemore of Hopscotch Adoptions, may lose license #BennetKelley #SOAR #IAAME MOTHERS OF ARMENIA

https://world.wng.org/content/dropping_international_adoptions?fbclid=IwAR3o_DCIGsS1M7p7vTRiVGZBx0e4IFliqUCGAu0SIA62U2ZCYIDJq8J7Z2w

Dropping international adoptions FAMILY | Agencies shut down their programs amid shifting attitudes and burdensome bureaucracy by Mary Jackson Posted 2/07/20, 04:43 pm Dave and Sabrina Bjornstom anxiously waited with 12 other couples from the United States in a sixth-story room in a government office building in Guangzhou, China. Suddenly someone shouted, “They’re coming!” Rushing to the windows, they saw a line of women—each holding a baby—walking toward the building. That day in 2004, the Bjornstroms cradled Katie, one of their two adopted daughters from China, for the first time. Countless parents share similar experiences. In 2004, international adoptions by U.S. couples peaked at 23,000. But that number plummeted to 4,000 in 2018, an 80 percent drop. Last month, Bethany Christian Services, the nation’s largest evangelical adoption agency, announced its international program will end next year when its accreditation expires. It is no longer accepting new applications. Kristi Gleason, vice president of global services at Bethany, said the organization did not base the decision on changes in international laws and practices. Rather, she noted it was “a reflection of our desire to serve children in their own communities” by helping establish foster and child welfare systems that emphasize reunification and in-country adoptions. Shifting attitudes about international adoptions have contributed to its sharp decline. #MothersOfArmenia #ArmenianBabiesSold

With Cara Helberg of now closed Across the World Adoptions
in Ghana assessing how many poor black babies they could sell to
their white clients . Shameful dirty trash

But many agencies blame the U.S. State Department’s accrediting arm, which was established two years ago, for squeezing them out of the business. option At least 35 adoption service providers have canceled or relinquished their licenses, and 11 have had their licenses suspended since the federal government established the Intercountry Adoption Accreditation and Maintenance Entity (IAAME) in 2018. The number of licensed adoption service providers dropped to 125 from 278 in 2008.

Robin Sizemore, founder and executive director of Hopscotch Adoptions in High Point, N.C., said the IAAME levied false accusations against her agency, withheld information, and denied them due process. She hired two lawyers to refute State Department complaints and filed separate complaints against the accrediting entity. Self-reporting is now “a full-time position [at Hopscotch],” Sizemore said. “It seems like [the State Department] came into this with a mandate to close as many agencies as possible.” Upon establishment, the IAAME added a $500 monitoring and oversight fee for adoptive families and increased accreditation costs for adoption agencies. Dont worry Robin it will be awhile before you are closed down. First you have to spend $200,000 in legal fees with corrupt low class attorney's that will lie, cheat, and steal to try and keep your doors open. Remember what I said to you in 2011 when we walked out of the mediation hearing "iTS OVER" and your own adoptive families squeeled on you. Poetic Justice. You shameful woman, how about some redemption and unseal the records at Carolina Adoption Services and Hopscotch from 1996 to 2019 for the 24 birth mothers of Armenia who want to know where their children are that you stole from them. How about It Robin? I can arrange it for you since you are not allowed to step foot in Armenia --- I am sure I can facilitate your travel to Armenia with the names of the odars that purchased Armenian Babies. HERE ARE SOME OF THESE MOTHERS it even made it into the Daily Mail in England and no.....you will not be allowed to blame this on Italy. The 24 Armenian mothers protest daily till you unseal the records and disclose which odars purchased their children. You dirty white trash bitch its finally over. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7827889/Armenia-shocked-baby-selling-network-obstetrician-orphanage-head-arrested.html

UNSEAL THE ADOPTION RECORDS ROBIN

THESE ARMENIAN MOTHERS WANT THEIR

BABIES BACK ...DO THEY LOOK GRATEFUL TO YOU?

Daniel Nehrbass, president of Nightlight Christian Adoptions, said his agency’s fees, paid over four years, jumped from $14,000 under the previous accrediting agency, the Council on Accreditation, to $309,000 with the IAAME. Nightlight’s clients have absorbed the cost. International adoptions now cost up to $50,000, depending on the country and the amount of travel required. “It’s not surprising that other agencies would decide this is not a strategic place to be involved,” Nehrbass said. In 2018, a group of 80 agencies, called Save Adoptions, filed a complaint with the State Department’s inspector general claiming the IAAME was unfit to operate under international Hague Convention requirements. The inspector general denied the complaint, and so far lobbying efforts with Congress and the White House have not succeeded. The State Department argues the IAAME is needed to protect children and families. In recent decades, reports of corruption and abuse have tainted international adoptions. Many countries, including China, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, and South Korea have banned or cut back on international adoptions, often citing child abuse. Adoption agencies argue these instances are rare and that they can maintain ethical practices without shuttering international adoptions entirely. The United Nations estimates 140 million orphans exist worldwide. Nehrbass said there is room for numerous solutions to address the crisis. “Since the beginning, international adoption has been a calling that God puts on certain people’s hearts,” he said. “I don’t think that’s disappearing.” BULLSHIT that UN estimate has no basis of fact 140 million orphans in the world? Seriously that is the same marketing mantra used by International Adoption agencies 10 years ago. International Adoption was a $6 billion industry 1/3 fueled by American money why don't these parents who spend upwards of $30-50,000 to adopt a child overseas adopt one of the 140,000 American children sitting in Foster Care who are paper ready for Fost to Adopt? 1 in 4 children in America lives in poverty. Use the money for building the economy, schools, and jobs for people so they can CARE for their children. Shamelessly 100 American foster care children are adopted by foreigners every year.

Adopted by white mothers, Robin is a racist picking on people of other ethnicities and poor families that cannot pay for a child but in Robins eyes should be with a white mother who has money / job.
Guess what Robin? you don't make that choice on our children you will be held accountable. These photos are not copyrighted they are on the internet for anyone to copy, distribute or get disgusted with. OPEN UP THE RECORDS !!!!
To BENNET KELLEY who we know reads this blog regularly ...please note you will no longer be tolerated in Los Angeles or in any court room in California. Armenians of Southern California the white trash Bennet Kelley hired by Robin Sizemore to silence me about Robin's purchasing of babies in Armenia has harmed me, my family and the Armenian Community of Fresno trying humorously to harm not only my reputation but cause problems in my community . His wife's name is Wanda J. Rudd (ugly wash rag) that poses as his process serving - serving paperwork that has not even been filed at any courthouse or was since amended, striked or denied. He lives on 34th St. in Santa Monica and walks his cute white dog every morning at various dog parks. You can also reach Bennet Kelley at his offices which he rents a cubicle at:
100 wilshire blvd #940 Santa Monica, CA
ph. 310 452-0401

Bennet Kelley with this dog

Bennet Kelley with this wife Wanda J. Rudd

"Kevork" Yacoubian the next time you believe these pathetic liars that someone is attacking "SOAR" and the falsity of Robin or her paid attorneys remember your conversation with Public Defender Cathi Pattinson and please note your reputation with SOAR is in jeopardy because of Robin's involvement in the NC Chapter. Its no secret that many members have walked away because of your explosive temperment and demeanor. SOAR is largely odars and there is a reason for that. Orphanages will be closing in Armenia over the next 3-5 years. You are more than welcome to help our groups ARS, Paros Foundation, Aid Beyond Borders and even the Armenian community that raises funds DIRECTLY for Sister A. and actually works on projects that lift the economy of Armenia so no child is left in an orphanage because their parents are not working or have food. I have the copies of your correspondence to me, but I know you wouldn't want to hurt SOAR any more than what Robin Sizemore has done. Anyone that matters in Los Angeles donates to the Armenian Orphanage fund of Los Angeles. Please join us for the projects that MATTER to Armenians .
Its time to cut the bad baggage away from SOAR

Remember when LaLa uped the price of your adoption when you were in country?......where did the extra money go?...ask Robin she is a pro at it and making $2 million + over a 5 year span (that she reports) The best attorney to work through adoption challenges in Armenia is Irene Steffas and she is well respected in Armenia. She has helped several people, and last we checked is also an ASP

LA LA Ghazarian .....still having tea on Thursdays with Eduard Amalyan?

Another adoption agency that works in Armenia is A Love Beyond Borders
http://www.bbinternationaladoption.com/armenia-adoption-program

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Carolina Adoption Services (CAS) Robin Sizemore's previous employer prior to 2006 #ArmenianBabyMills #BennetKelley #HopscotchAdoptions

https://www.rferl.org/a/armenian-baby-hatchery-mothers-search-for-children-taken-from-them/30356783.html

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/Intercountry-Adoption/adopt_ref/adoption-statistics1.html?wcmmode=disabled

Saturday, December 28, 2019

The truth is coming out ...lots of odars adopted healthy Armenian babies via Robin Sizemore #HopscotchAdoptions #Bribes #BennetKelley #SOAR

Here is Robin Sizemore's 2011 admission of "customary" gifts paid to officials in an Armenian publication.

From Original Article Here
https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia_considers_changing_adoption_procedures_amid_corruption_allegations/24336795.html

This is also discussed in Robin's deposition and her mediation report below when she unsuccessfully tried to sue me for telling the truth. Robin has admitted to the gifts built into her contract. Now I am told the PAP brings cash and gifts to Armenia.

Here is another odar single mother who adopted an Armenian Baby, her name is MeriBeth Driver, she is a CNM - Certified Nurse Midwife in Phoenix, Arizona She has taken her daughter on 1 trip back to Armenia in June 2018 but frankly this "beast" isn't interested nor can she teach her adoptive daughter about what it means to have an Armenian Soul. Many Armenian American couples were waiting to adopt -why were they pushed out of the way for this beastly ugly Odar?
Oh and she was near the Azerbaijan border. Does this Odar understand how many babies are available for adoption in the Arizona Foster Care system? Whats the matter MeriBeth you wanted to buy someone elses baby in another country? Because an American baby would have the possibility of the birth mother coming for their baby. This way you are on the other side of the world with someone else's baby.
SOAR should apologize before they start losing a lot of donations, how dare you defend Robin Sizemore and put her in as the NC chapter president? Oh I guess it's true you don't depend on Armenian money for donations as they give to Paros Foundation, Warm Hearth and to the Armenian American Orphanage fund and Telefon in Los Angeles, CA. Also to our ARS chapters who have been supporting Mother, Child programs in Armenia for over 40 years.

You deserve all the scorn in the world for listening to Robin Sizemore and her lying gaggle fan club Michael Garabedian, et al. Shameful Armenians. They all know what is going on. What kind of testimony did MeriBeth give the Armenian authorities?

SOAR approves of this behavior? Now watch Robin Sizemore call SOAR "She is attacking SOAR"
Wa Wa, I bring you money Georgie and I have connections in Armenia. Geez you should know better than to listen to Robin, and her lying Attorney Bennet Kelley. It will cost you dearly this time. You get what you deserve. Your behavior speaks for itself from the former chapter person in Washington DC you made cry to the person in Texas that is done with you. Your threats and outbursts speak for themselves.

Four Arrests in ongoing illegal adoption in Armenia #HopscotchAdoptions #RobinSizemore #SOAR #BennetKelley

YEREVAN—The Investigative Committee of Armenia arrested three civil servants late last week in connection with the National Security Service’s (NSS) ongoing investigation into illegal international adoptions. Officials arrested Liana Karapetyan, the director of a Yerevan orphanage; Razmik Abrahamyan, the director of the Republican Maternity Hospital; and Arshak Jerjeryan, Abrahamyan’s deputy director at the hospital. Abrahamyan had also served as head Obstetrician and Gynecologist of Armenia for several years.

The three stand accused of conspiring with two unnamed individuals in an alleged scheme to illegally separate newborns from their parents and present them as orphans to international adoption agencies. The Investigative Committee has not disclosed the identity of a fourth conspirator implicated in the case. Data produced by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs reveals that 54 children were adopted overseas between 2016 and 2018, and authorities now suspect that at last 30 of those may have been cases of illegal international child trafficking.

Dr. Abrahamyan has been charged with two counts under the Armenian Criminal Code: Article 167 (illegal separation of the child from the parents or substitution of the child) and Article 200 (commercial bribe). The 76-year-old wasn’t placed under pre-trial detention despite a motion filed by the NSS. Yerevan Children’s Home Director Karapetyan, who was charged with Article 167 and Article 314 (official forgery), has since been released on bail after posting the three million AMD ($6,300) required. A third—unnamed—suspect also posted bail set at five million AMD ($10,450).

Substantial allegations of ongoing and organized illegal international orphan trafficking are not recent. A 2011 report by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) revealed cases of prospective adoptive parents using such agencies being asked to provide ‘gifts’ to the orphanage managers and other officials in thousands of dollars in cash payments in order for them to “hold on to” their prospective adoptive child. Hmayak Navasardian, head of an Armenian Justice Ministry department coordinating foreign adoption procedures at the time, admitted that such payments are considered illegal under Armenian law.

These cases closely resemble the testimonies of adoptive parents who recently spoke with the Armenian Weekly, which included one woman who described handing bags full of American dollars to a local handler in Armenia, as well as being ‘forced’ to sign forged documents for other American adoptive parents for ‘procedural’ reasons. “Naturally, if there is such a thing, it means not paying for [legal] services but paying bribes,” Navasardian told RFE/RL at the time.

Robin Sizemore, director at Hopscotch—one of the two major US-based adoption agencies operating in Armenia—has strongly denied allegations that American agencies would be involved in offering bribes to Armenian officials. In a recent email to the Armenian Weekly, Sizemore said, “I have never seen or known of any infractions related to inter-country adoption. Maybe it can be different country to country, but for the US it is so tightly regulated and our embassy conducts orphan investigations and does not hesitate to send documents back, even if there is a simple transposed letter to be checked and corrected. This is why the story was so shocking.”

Following the Velvet Revolution, the government turned its attention to its international adoption activities when newly-appointed assistant to the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Mushegh Hovsepyan, sounded the alarm to authorities. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan then approved the creation of a working group in August 2019, which included representatives of Armenia’s law enforcement agencies, to review the country’s current adoption process. The working group is also working to modernize the country’s current adoption legislation.

The accused have denied the charges as baseless.

The Armenian Weekly will continue to follow ongoing developments in this investigation.

https://armenianweekly.com/2019/12/23/four-arrested-in-ongoing-illegal-international-adoption-investigation/?unapproved=1101232&moderation-hash=33ef5c43227c952385998ca6605aad87#comment-1101232

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Robin Sizemore of Hopscotch Adoptions claims that birth mothers "relieved" someone else is raising their child #HopscotchAdopitions #BennetKelley #ChildAbduction

EREVAN—The Armenian National Police Department has unveiled several more cases of potential illegal international adoptions following the launch of a National Security Service (NSS) investigation into the matter last week. In a video posted to the Police Department’s official YouTube channel on November 19, Lieutenant Colonel Vache Hovsepyan, who heads the police-dedicated organized crime unit, revealed that his team had uncovered cases dating as far back as 2009.

Elaborating on some of the investigation’s preliminary findings, Hovsepyan said orphanage staff members allegedly “provided signed and notarized documents releasing the infants from their biological parents’ custody and consenting to international adoption.” He continued, “However, when we contacted the parents in question, they revealed that they had never signed any such documents, nor had they consented to adoption.”

Hovsepyan also discussed the widespread use of intimidation tactics to receive written consent from parents. He recounted a particular case in which the director of an orphanage allegedly threatened the parents with cutting off access to their child and forging their signature if they refused to consent to international adoption.

The Armenian Weekly spoke with several adoptive families in the United States, under the condition of anonymity, who have largely corroborated these developments. Some of their adoption stories date all the way back to 2005. “My daughter’s birth parents were absolutely shocked when [we] reached out to them,” said one of the parents. “They had been told years ago by the hospital that their daughter had died,” she continued. According to her, the birth parents denied ever signing any adoption papers, despite signatures appearing on the notarized adoption documents which she shared with The Armenian Weekly.

International adoptions without the consent of the biological parents constitute a breach of the Criminal Code. The current law on adoptions prioritizes requests by adoptive parents who hold Armenian citizenship. Orphaned children are only eligible for international adoption if they are not claimed locally within a three-month period.

Robin Sizemore, executive director at Hopscotch Adoptions, one of two major US-based adoption agencies operating in Armenia, says that the inter-country adoptions are tightly regulated under the Hague Convention to prevent human trafficking of minors. According to her, the inter-country adoption process may take up to several years from start to finish. Prospective adoptive parents are heavily vetted before submitting an initial application to the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia which could take up to four months to review. Once a child is referred, the adopting parents are allowed to make a visit to Armenia which includes another vetting process by the Armenian Ministry of Justice, after which documents must be re-submitted to the Prime Minister’s office for final approval. Adoption papers and other documents are then translated and couriered to the United States where the adoption agency begins the process of filing an I-800 package. Those documents are then re-submitted to the US Embassy in Yerevan, which reviews the application yet again before requesting a court date for the prospective adoptive parents in Yerevan. Following the final court decision and the issuance of the proper immigration paperwork, parents can start the process of repatriating their adoptive children.

“We only placed 13 children between 2016 and 2018 and will have only placed one child in 2019,” said Sizemore in an email interview with The Armenian Weekly. “This honestly kills my heart. Have you seen the children? No one will come for them.”

Sizemore suggested that at least some cases of improperly conducted inter-country adoptions may have come about by exploiting loopholes in Armenia’s relatively loose surrogacy laws. “Domestic PAPs [prospective adoptive parents] made private arrangements directly with birth mothers prior to the birth of children or took custody of a newborn directly from the hospital. Neither of these practices is legal but had been traditionally acceptable for domestic families,” read her email response.

She also stressed that her organization always encourages adoptive families to maintain ties to their adoptive children’s birth country, with many making return trips to reunite with relatives in Armenia. “Birth families are so relieved that another mother is doing what they could not do for their child,” she insisted.

Armenian Police are cooperating with the authorities of “several foreign states” through Interpol to track down some of the cases, particularly those in Italy and the United States. Seemingly in response to the concern, the US Embassy in Yerevan tweeted a statement confirming the United States’ commitment “to safeguarding inter-country adoption as an option for children in need” with the hashtag #NationalAdoptionMonth. The tweet also contains a link to the State Department’s guidelines on legal international adoptions.

Answering questions from the press on Monday, Armenian Human Rights Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan called these recent developments “deeply concerning” but confirmed that his office is closely monitoring the ongoing investigation.

This is an ongoing investigation, and The Armenian Weekly will be closely following its developments.

ROBIN SIZEMORE YOU SHAMEFUL WOMAN

https://armenianweekly.com/2019/11/27/armenian-police-investigation-reveals-more-cases-of-fraudulent-international-adoptions/

Paying bribes in Armenian Adoptions - customery practice in fact part of Hopscotch Adoptions contract #RobinSizemore

YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—The director of Armenia’s main maternity hospital and two other officials were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of forcing young women to abandon their babies who were subsequently adopted by foreigners paying bribes.

The Investigative Committee made the arrests as part of a criminal investigation launched by another law-enforcement agency, the National Security Service (NSS), earlier this year.

In a November 14 statement, the NSS claimed to have found evidence of three dozen Armenian children have been illegally adopted by Italian nationals. In particular, it said, in 2016-2018 several officials used threats, blackmail and lies to convince over a dozen pregnant (and presumably unmarried) women to abandon their expected children.

According to the statement, immediately after their birth the children were taken to state-run orphanages whose senior employees later arranged their adoption by foreigners through forgery of their medical records and other violations of adoption rules set by the state. The NSS said that members of the crime ring made sure that Armenian citizens could not adopt the babies.

The arrested suspects are Razmik Abrahamyan, the director of the Republican Maternity Hospital, his deputy Arshak Jerjeryan and Liana Karapetyan, the director of a Yerevan orphanage. The Investigative Committee said that they colluded with two other individuals for personal gain but did not give any details.

All three suspects were interrogated later on Wednesday. It was not clear whether any of them admitted involvement in the alleged child trafficking.

A spokeswoman for the Yerevan-based hospital, Vartuhi Simonyan, declined to comment on its long-serving director’s arrest. At the same time Simonyan categorically denied the medical institution’s involvement in child adoptions in Armenia.

Abrahamyan, 76, was already charged in April this year with giving a bribe to then Deputy Health Minister Arsen Davtyan. Unlike Davtyan, who was reportedly caught red-handed in his office, the veteran doctor was not arrested at the time.

According to government data, a total of 54 Armenian children were adopted by foreign nationals, most of them Italians and Americans, from 2016-2018.

The integrity of foreign adoptions in Armenia has long been in serious doubt. A 2011 news report by RFE/RL’s Armenian service suggested that U.S. adoption agencies continue to make hefty informal payments to Armenian officials dealing with adoptions. It cited a sample contract signed by one such agency with Americans wishing to adopt Armenian or Georgian children.

The contract, offered to a potential client in the United States in 2007, explained that almost $5,000 of more than $30,000 charged by the agency for every adoption would be spent on “gifts to foreign service providers and government functionaries performing ministerial tasks as an offer of thanks for prompt service.” It claimed that such gifts are “customary” in Armenia and Georgia and do not violate U.S. law.

“Gifts and gratuities” were also a separate spending category in a sample agreement that was offered by another American adoption agency.

Robin Sizemore can claim "ignorance" of the facts but she knows very well about bribes in Armenia and WHY her contract with North Carolina Adoptions was terminated. Hell even her clients are giving key information about this when questions by Armenian authorities. Its not just about "italiass" adopting as Robin would like people to believe......

http://asbarez.com/189612/three-arrested-in-illegal-foreign-adoption-scheme-in-armenia/

ROBIN SIZEMORE YOU SHAMEFUL WOMAN

Vanessa Kachadurian Armenian victory-Mediation Report from Vanessa Kachadurian