After a long silence, time to take up blogging again. What better moment to choose than the US National Adoption Awareness Month. As of now, my blog will be hosted on my new website; the old one remains but will no longer be updated.
Since publishing Romania – For Export Only, spring 2007, lots has happened. The pressure on Romania is still mountain high, but the Romanian President stands firm. One may wonder why the adoption crowd is so eager to re-open Romania. In the US National Adoption Awareness Month I will blog regularly about the politics & persons behind this.
Let’s go back into history (page 189 of my book).
Thursday, 25 March 2004
The EC Delegation in Washington asked for a briefing on the adoption issue, as a demonstration had been announced:There is a very important rally being held in Washington, D.C. on Monday and Tuesday, March 29 and 30, on behalf of the children of Romania, whose opportunity to be adopted may be permanently denied. While Romania and Guatemala are worlds apart, the insidious influences of the E.U. anti intercountry adoption proponents, along with the misguided principles of UNICEF, is affecting every country of world, and is condemning many children from Third World Countries to death, or lives without hope.The schedule is as follows:
I urge everyone who cares about preservation of adoption opportunities for children to TRY to attend these two rallies. Details and contact information is below,Monday, March 29 3:00pmBritish Embassy 3100 Massachusetts Avenue Washington DC, 20008
Demonstration at the British Embassy
Tuesday, March 30 10:00amDemonstration at the EU Consulate and the Ambassador to the European Union Delegation of the European Commission to the United States 2300 M Street, NW Washington, DC 20037
Those demonstrations (where only 25 people showed up) were organised by JCICS Board Members Lynn L. Wetterberg (Uniting Families Foundation) and Debra L. Murphy-Scheumann (Special Additions). It was Hannah Wallace of Focus on Adoption who raised the alarmbell that Guatemala and other countries might follow Romania’s example.
Hannah Wallace was proven right. Guatemala no longer is the adoption paradise, nor are Vietnam, Nepal, Cambodia just to name a few.
Focus on Adoption’s website no longer exists, but those interested in refreshing their memory can read ‘Focus on Adoption – A Rogue Gallery‘
I recently stumbled upon Hannah Wallace again, when I was forwarded a mail from ACT for Adoption. As the mail suggested forwarding to anyone interested, I guess there is no issue with copying it here:
From: ACT for Adoption <act@adoptionpolicy.org>
Date: October 27, 2010
Subject: International Adoption Under Attack
Reply-To: act@adoptionpolicy.org~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
International Adoption Under Attack
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~International Adoption continues to be under attack, with disastrous results for children. The numbers of such adoptions are dramatically down in recent years, dropping by more than half since the peak in 2004.The following chart illustrates:
In addition children lucky enough to be adopted are being held in institutions for longer periods prior to adoption, putting them at higher risk for lifelong damage.
We urge all ACT for Adoption members to consider taking action as indicated below:
(1) Sign the online Petition circulated by the new Both Ends Burning Campaign. This is a grassroots, multimedia campaign to promote reformed methods of regulating international adoption that would enable it to better serve the needs of unparented children. It is producing a film, Wrongfully Detained, which will demonstrate the depth of the damage done by the current international adoption crisis. It has also launched a petition campaign on its web site, with the goal of taking a million-and-one signatures to the UN to demand change. They need your help! To check out this organization, view their Petition, and sign on, go to their web site Both Ends Burning .If you agree with the goals of this Campaign, you can both sign the petition and urge others to do the same by forwarding this email.
(2) The United States recently announced that the U.S. will not participate in the new Guatemalan Adoption Pilot Program. Previously the U.S. had participated, along with UNICEF and others, in closing down Guatemala’s adoption program, so that new adoptions from Guatemala stopped on Dec. 31, 2007. Thousands of adoptions in process at the time have been delayed over the last 3 years, and still hundreds are being obstructed. Little has been done to provide decent alternative care for those children who are not being adopted. Nothing that either the Department of State or USCIS has done so far has been effective in moving this logjam. Governments like the U.S., which insisted that Guatemala endorse the Hague Treaty, have an obligation to do the maximum possible to help develop acceptable and child centric international adoption systems. You can help by emailing your concern, and your demand for action to help children in need of adoptive homes, to:
For questions about the Guatemala situation, contact:
Hannah Wallace, Focus on Adoption, which has been active in trying to keep international adoption open in Guatemala: hwall334@aol.com
Please also forward this email to anyone who you think will be interested – Subscription link.
You are receiving this mailing because of your existing relationship with the Center for Adoption Policy or the Child Advocacy Program at Harvard Law School. To unsubscribe at anytime, please click on the link at the bottom of the e-mail.
Links…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Center for Adoption Policy
Child Advocacy Program at Harvard Law School
Guatemala 900Forward email
This email was sent to by act@adoptionpolicy.org.
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The Both Ends Burning Campaign was founded by adoptive father and founder of Chances for Children Graig Juntunen. Board Members, amongst others, Harvard Professor Elisabeth Bartholet and Holt’s President Kim Brown.
Central issue of the campaign:
intercountry should not be considered as LAST RESORT
It is time for some child advocacy organizations to stop calling international adoption the ‘last resort,’” Juntunen said. “For many of these children, intercountry adoption is the ‘best resort.
This last resort issue was central in the debate surrounding Romania’s new child rights laws in 2002/2004. That will be the theme of my next blogging. Stay tuned…