Two stories of adoption fraud in the news this week break my heart.
In Haiti, 47 children whose parents gave them away to traffickers in return for promises of financial assistance were freed from a rogue adoption center in Port-au-Prince. The children are between the ages of 2 and 7, were taken to Port-au-Prince (Haiti’s capital) from southwest Haiti between 6 months and 2 years ago. They are malnourished and some have skin diseases.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) was alerted to the situation when the parents began complaining that they hadn’t received their promised financial assistance. They children have been returned to their parents, with promises from the IOM that the organization will provide medical care and school fees.
A loophole in Haiti’s 1974 adoption laws allows these rogue agencies to traffick children, offering them to rich Haitians and foreigners in exchange for "processing fees" that often amount to $10,000.
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In Antigua, Guatemala, 46 children, ranging from newborns up to 3 years old, were discovered this week in an illegal foster home. None of the children had the proper adoption paperwork. The government has not yet decided where the children will be transferred.
Clarification to the above paragraph — from additional reports since I posted this info:
Casa Quivira was raided by the Guatemalan police and PGN. Based on the story, it
appears as though the situation was that the hogar itself did not have
whatever licensing is required and that there was not proof that the
cases had been presented/registered to the government.There is nothing written in the story on this that would indicate the relinquishments were invalid or illegal.
In Guatemala, child trafficking is often instigated by private lawyers who forge adoption papers or pay mothers to sell their children. Apparently, some lawyers charge adoptive parents up to $40,000.
According to a Reuters article, "The United States recently announced it would require two DNA tests
on Guatemalan babies being adopted by Americans before issuing visas,
in an effort to clean up the process."
Sources:
For more news and information about adoption, visit www.laurachristianson.com, and
check out my Exploring
Adoption bookstore.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
This information is incorrect! Please read http://www.guatadopt.com/archives/000686.html
Your information about Casa Quivera is still unaccurate. If you read what is on Guatadopt more thoroughly it explains it entirely.