Armenian Adoption Adventure explores the latest in Adoption news from Armenia. Armenian Adoption Adventure has a network of 40 people worldwide that have adopted from Armenia. God Bless you on this difficult journey.
On the set, Actor Ken Davitian's open statement and Vahagni seranading us with Armenian Lullabies
Sound check with technicians, look at all the great give aways for donations to ValleyPBS
They can still be purchased here:
http://valleypbs.mybigcommerce.com/orphans-of-the-genocide/
Receiving an award from Bared Maronian the film maker was a big honor. Myself and actor Ken Davitian worked tiredlessly on this project for over 1 year. Within the media connections in the USA and Armenia we are getting the story out of 150,000 orphans left over from the remains of the Ottoman sword. Many of these orphans that survived ended up arriving in the USA and to Fresno. Most of us are related to orphans (my grandparents) this is what drives us to support and adopt orphans of Armenia today.
Orphans of the Genocide
This took 1 year to convince ValleyPBS to Air the DEBUT of this documentary by friend Filmmaker Bared Maronian. When they agreed it was extra exciting to see that Actor Ken Davitian agreed (didn't have to twist his arm) to host the documentary. There will also be a special appearance from my friend Flamenco Guitarist Vahagni.
Watch Actor Ken Davitian’s Public Service Announcement
http://www.valleypbs.org/events/orphans_genocide.php
You may order copies of the Documentary under "thank you gifts" and it is a donation tax deductible status.
Armenia however has remained steady the last 5 years with anywhere from 18-24 children adopted to Americans per year, with 90% being special needs.
American Adoptions From Abroad at Their Lowest Level in Years
By RACHEL L. SWARNS
WASHINGTON — The number of foreign children adopted by Americans has plunged to its lowest level in more than a decade as some countries have cut back on adoptions to the United States and others have struggled to meet stricter standards intended to combat corruption and child trafficking, government officials said Thursday.
Some prospective parents, nonprofit adoption agencies and members of Congress are raising concerns about the sharp decline in foreign adoptions, which dropped by 62 percent to 8,668 in the 2012 fiscal year from a high of 22,991 in 2004, according to a report released by the State Department on Thursday.
State Department officials attribute the decline over those years primarily to the internal policies of several countries, particularly China, Russia and South Korea, which have sharply limited adoptions to the United States in recent years as they have worked to encourage more domestic adoptions.
In the 2012 fiscal year, 2,697 children came to the United States from China, down from 7,038 in 2004, the statistics show. In 2004, 5,862 children from Russia were adopted here as opposed to 748 in the 2012 fiscal year, which ended in September.
The number of international adoptions is expected to fall even further in the current fiscal year as a result of Russia’s decision to curtail all adoptions to the United States. The Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, approved the ban on adoptions in late December as part of a broader law retaliating against the United States for its efforts to punish Russian officials accused of human rights violations.
“I’m not sure what the future holds for intercountry adoptions from Russia to the United States,” Ambassador Susan Jacobs, the State Department’s special adviser for children’s issues, said in an interview on Thursday.
The number of international adoptions has declined every year since 2004. Homeland Security officials, who process petitions for international adoption, say that stricter standards intended to combat corruption have also played a role. Some homeland security officials have questioned the State Department’s decision to prohibit new adoptions from countries like Guatemala, Vietnam and Cambodia in recent years. They argue that the United States should continue to process adoption cases while working to reform the adoption programs in those countries, which have been dogged in the past by allegations of corruption.
But Ms. Jacobs said, “For us the right number is the number we can process ethically, safely and transparently.”
She said the additional scrutiny gives American parents and the American public greater confidence that the adopted children have not been stolen or sold or taken from parents under false pretenses. She said the State Department was eager to reopen the pipeline to countries that have improved their programs.
“Vietnam and Cambodia are making great strides and improving,” Ms. Jacobs said. “I think it’s quite likely that we will be doing some adoptions from those countries this year, probably in the second half of the year.”
Homeland Security officials declined to comment on the newly released adoption figures. But a senior official at the department said last year that she believed that the nation’s position had left thousands of vulnerable orphans stranded in institutions overseas.
The official, Whitney Reitz, who was then in charge of children’s affairs and parole policy at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, said at the time, in a speech at a conference on adoption, that while some might believe it is best not to allow adoptions from certain countries, “when I think personally about the individual children in these countries who need families and who are stuck in institutions, it really doesn’t look like such a great outcome to me.”
State Department officials maintain that ensuring a transparent, legal process is more important than the number of foreign orphans who are adopted. China, Ethiopia, Russia, South Korea and Ukraine remain the top feeder countries to the United States, according to the report, which is released annually.
Senator Mary L. Landrieu, Democrat of Louisiana, said in a telephone interview on Thursday that the government must do more to prevent children from growing up in orphanages.
Senator Landrieu, co-chairwoman of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, described the decline in international adoptions as “tragic.” She said the State Department had “failed to put the resources or personnel in place to help countries” meet the stricter standards required by countries that have signed The Hague convention on intercountry adoption. The treaty, which took effect for the United States in 2008, establishes accreditation requirements for adoption agencies and protections against child trafficking.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/25/world/us-adoptions-from-abroad-decline-sharply.html?_r=0
Morocco is taking a hard stance over the legality of Kafala adoptions and residency.
Morocco
March 8, 2013
Alert: Morocco
On September 21, 2012, Moroccan Justice Minister El Mostapha Ramid published a notice instructing Moroccan prosecutors to oppose any petitions filed with a juvenile judge seeking the granting of Kafala guardianship decrees to foreign prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) who do not reside in Morocco. In his notice, he asks the prosecutors to emphasize to courts the importance of in-country residency for the Kafala guardianship, to verify whether the prospective adoptive parents reside in Morocco, and to request that judges not issue Kafala orders to foreign PAPs who are not residing in Morocco. The notice states that the new instructions are to ensure the proper application of the existing law. It does not contain any provisions addressing already pending Kafala guardianship petitions.
The Department of State is asking U.S. families who are in the process of applying for guardianship of a Moroccan child to contact the Office of Children’s Issues at AskCI@state.gov. We ask that you provide information about where you are in the process (i.e., matched with a Moroccan child, matched and met Moroccan child, child’s full name and date of birth, region from which the child is being adopted, documentation showing you are approved to adopt a child with special needs, and/or court date set). This information will help us better understand the number of U.S. citizens who may be affected by this Moroccan notice. Please use the subject line “Intercountry guardianship from Morocco” to ensure your email is properly routed. We are also requesting that your email include an attached completed Privacy Act Waiver (Form DS 5505), even if you have already provided this information to the Department of State or the U.S. Consulate General in Casablanca. If you choose to submit a Privacy Act Waiver, please specify on the form with whom the Department may share information regarding your case. You may choose to include the Moroccan government and/or your members of Congress. Please do not send photos, any other documents, or any additional information at this time. Large documents/photos could hamper our ability to access the inbox.
The Office of Children's Issues will reach out directly to families as additional information becomes available. Any such information that affects U.S. citizens who are in the process of obtaining guardianship of a child from Morocco will also be posted on the State Department’s website (adoption.state.gov).
Please continue to monitor adoption.state.gov for updated information.
