International adoption - as easy and as American as apple pie?!?

Found on a blog, a proud friend wanted to announce her friend (who runs a non-profit adoption agency in Something's rotten in the State of Pennsylvania) is opening a new adoption program.  I guess in her excitement, the blogging friend wanted to include the message written by the Adoptive Mother jump-starting two new programs for her private business entity.

I am starting a program in Serbia and Montenegro . Below I have outlined how the program works…according to the facilitator with some English cleaned up. I am wondering if you know of anyone who may be interested ….if they already have a home study completed for another country, that would be even better in that they would be that much further ahead. It appears these first adoptions may be able to be done rather quickly. The stay would be two weeks…

The "friend" continues to explain the program is so new, the following info provided by the adoption facilitator is not posted on the website yet.  [Sure enough, the following is NOT on the website.]

 

Without naming names, or including any links, I'd like to know what other think about the following highlighted features in this "new adoption program", in Serbia and Montenegro.

  • These two countries are not part of Hague convention, and adoption is not with court process.
  • In both countries adoption is an administrative decision, and all the adoption papers must to be submitted for approval to the Ministry of Labor and Social Department, this institution has an office in each territory.
  • It is not necessarily for families to travel too much in the country as all adoption procedures can be completed in the territory where the child is resident.
  • The application for adoption is approved by the local authorities (social department) waiting period of time cannot be longer than two months; the family can get referral about the child after that.
  • After the adoptive parents accept the child, Ministry of Labor will approve the adoption in a special meeting, where the family need to be present too, the name of this meeting is “Ceremony of Adoption”, and the schedule of this meeting is made no more than one week from the date when the Ministry of Labor approved the adoption.
  • After this official meeting, the local authorities will make all adoption papers; they change the biological parent’s names with adoptive parent’s names, the only condition that Serbian adoption law has is about child first name that cannot be changed, but if adoptive family wish that can do it in USA, in Montenegro is allow to be change too.
  • The local authorities will issue an adoption decree that includes child’s history and adoption details, new birth certificate and passport.
  • All adoption papers translate in English language the family go to US Embassy for child visas, issued at the US Embassy in Belgrade.
  • This is the entire adoption process.
  • The families has must application for adoption with color copy of their US passport and POA for facilitator to get registration approval first, they will come after the approval is made , and after they accept the referral of child sent by facilitator.
  • The age of children’s that can be adopted by the foreign families is from 1 year up to 18 years old, with some special approval from authorities can be less than 1 year, but not younger than 3 months old.
  • Adoptive parents must not be more than 45 years older than child adopted, but can be more than that with a special approval from Ministry of Labor.
  • The age of adopted child will be decided by US adoptive families only.
  • Single persons can adopt, with special approval of some authorities in Serbia, but not allowed in Montenegro.
  • Adoption requirements: Adoption application, Home Study, A short adoptive family biography (one page), Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Medical Certificate, Police Certificate, Work certificate with details about: income and home, Passport color copy, BCIS Approval, Passport photos of adoptive parents.
  • The program fees is 14 thousand dollars.
  • Sometimes a child is less than one year but not younger that three months old.
  • The adoption agencies doesn’t work here for now, so we can have a lot of children’s available, I don’t know for how long time will be like this but I am sure one or two more years we can do adoption without too much competition.
  • I can start work there with any family that you may have ready for adoption and are in waiting list for another country, I can do registration and referral with HS and BCIS approved for another country, with condition that when family will travel here to bring with them name of country changed documents.

 

Registration fee is $100, and lucky for interested buyers, the Amother has much experience with adoptions from Ukraine and Guatemala (which she writes on her website,  "We are currently working with Guatemala and soon we'll be launching programs in other countries. We are proud of our Humanitarian Aid Program that we have through our non-profit corporation to support orphanages and improve the lives of those children left behind. As a non-profit organization, any contribution is tax deductible."

The understanding is, as stated by the Amother/agency owner on her website, all these children are orphaned and in desperate need of their forever American families.

I'd love PPL readers to offer their opinions/comments if they learned such an adoption program was now available, boasting such rock-bottom prices.  For instance, what do others see/think when they learn a foreign adoption "facilitator" is more than eager to do business with an American who knows a little-bit about the way adoptions were done in Guatemala or are done in Ukraine?

[NOT SO SUBTLE HINTPAP must carry cash when traveling.] 

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In other words

The sentence Kerry highlighted says it all: getting hold of children before the competition does.

We have said it many time, in many posts: the adoption industry claims to provide families for children in need of placement, but in reality they procure children to be sold to their paying customers.

Oddly enough, adoption agencies, when you scratch beneath the thin veneer of political correctness, are actually very open about their business savvy approach to adoption and this adoption agency is no exception.

All statements made with regards to this program show the business mentality behind the operation.

These two countries are not part of Hague convention, and adoption is not with court process.

In other words, the two countries are not bound to pesky international regulations, and even more important, because of that the adoption are not burdened with American Federal regulations either, after all  the State Department only oversees adoptions with Hague countries, but for adoptions with non-Hague countries, only visum requirements and state laws apply.

In both countries adoption is an administrative decision, and all the adoption papers must to be submitted for approval to the Ministry of Labor and Social Department, this institution has an office in each territory.

In other words, adoption is not a procedure decided in a court of law, but is decided by local authorities, who may very well benefit from the operation themselves, making it likely to receive easy approval.

It is not necessarily for families to travel too much in the country as all adoption procedures can be completed in the territory where the child is resident.

Great selling point, unless one realizes Serbia is about the size of Minnesota and Montenegro is only marginally bigger than Maryland. So if traveling were required it would only be a couple of hours, but still a great selling point.

After the adoptive parents accept the child, Ministry of Labor will approve the adoption in a special meeting, where the family need to be present too, the name of this meeting is “Ceremony of Adoption”, and the schedule of this meeting is made no more than one week from the date when the Ministry of Labor approved the adoption.

Wow, the ministry of Labor will not only approve the adoption, but will also throw you a celebration party.

After this official meeting, the local authorities will make all adoption papers; they change the biological parent’s names with adoptive parent’s names, the only condition that Serbian adoption law has is about child first name that cannot be changed, but if adoptive family wish that can do it in USA, in Montenegro is allow to be change too.

In other words, the Serbian and Montenegrin authorities will do everything for you to obfuscate the child's identity, though when adopting in Serbia, you will likely return home with a child called Dragan or Radmila. Of course that can be changed to David or Rachel in Pennsylvanian court.

The local authorities will issue an adoption decree that includes child’s history and adoption details, new birth certificate and passport.

That's all you need to know and if it's more than your child needs to know, just keep it to yourself.

All adoption papers translate in English language the family go to US Embassy for child visas, issued at the US Embassy in Belgrade.

Hmmm... some traveling required after all, but Belgrade is on the way back to the airport anyway.

This is the entire adoption process.

It's as easy as your ABC, it's so easy any fool can do it. Did we tell you how easy it is?

The families has must application for adoption with color copy of their US passport and POA for facilitator to get registration approval first, they will come after the approval is made , and after they accept the referral of child sent by facilitator.

Our subcontractor in Serbia and Montenegro will take care of all your business. (If there is anything fishy to the operation it's always our subcontractors fault).

The age of children’s that can be adopted by the foreign families is from 1 year up to 18 years old, with some special approval from authorities can be less than 1 year, but not younger than 3 months old.

Did we mention special needs. No we will never mention special needs. All our children are healthy according to our facilitator whom we trust 100% (unless things go wrong).

Adoptive parents must not be more than 45 years older than child adopted, but can be more than that with a special approval from Ministry of Labor.
Don't worry if you are older than 45, the countries are super-corrupt, so all you need to do is add some cash to your application forms.

The age of adopted child will be decided by US adoptive families only.

You can turn down any child you want to without any repercussion.

Single persons can adopt, with special approval of some authorities in Serbia, but not allowed in Montenegro.

Too bad we have to mention at least one caveat to an otherwise perfect program.

Adoption requirements: Adoption application, Home Study, A short adoptive family biography (one page), Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Medical Certificate, Police Certificate, Work certificate with details about: income and home, Passport color copy, BCIS Approval, Passport photos of adoptive parents.

Oh we forgot to mention, there are actually a few requirements, well we will help you with your home study anyway, so you simply can't fail to meet the requirements.

The program fees is 14 thousand dollars.

It's a bargain. Fourteen thousand dollars... when you subtract adoption tax credits and subsidies, it's almost for free. Did we mention how much of a bargain our program is.

Sometimes a child is less than one year but not younger that three months old.

We already said this before, but we'd like to repeat: Sometimes a child is less than one year. Did we mention that some of the children are less than one year old?

The adoption agencies doesn’t work here for now, so we can have a lot of children’s available, I don’t know for how long time will be like this but I am sure one or two more years we can do adoption without too much competition.

We are all for the free market, so we are in favor of having a monopoly (while it last). Without competition we can find the best children for you, our beloved customer. (We are aware that European Adoption Consultants raves about having a similar program, but we are still the only one).

Well, well, well.

Won't this be fun to track this journey into the depths of hell. First up: increased fees as interest rises from PAPs along with a rise in paperwork "irregularities". Then the feeding frenzy begins in the origin country with the higher fees, which of course are far higher than what one person could earn in several years being earned from one adoption, yet is routinely perceived as not an incentive for illicit activity somehow.

Next up: children entering the adoption market with questionable relinquishment procedures and/or sketchy origin. Then... as the market starts to slow down with growing demand and PAPs raise an angry fist to their senators to keep the orphan saving train a-movin', children who have undisclosed health conditions are "presented" as healthy, or are not what the US agency discloses to the PAPs. Usually this first shows up in children being much older than what is stated on the paperwork or the child has undisclosed mental conditions (easier to hide than physical differences or needs). Of course, this is also indicative that the identity of the child has been altered for increased market value. This is all for the sake of keeping up the supply of "healthy" children to meet the demand at all costs, of course.

Finally, a rise in reports of kidnapping and coercion appear once the demand far exceeds the supply and the adoption market is entrenched within the government and population (and let's not forget, JCICS has made several lobbying trips to "save the orphans" both in sending country and in the good ol' US of A to keep the doors open at all costs). Agencies and PAPs (along with APs who have adopted from the country previously) band together to fight any perceived slow downs to save the orphans. Governments in origin countries cave at the pressure, government officials in the US join the orphan saving crusade so they don't get painted as abandoning needy starving orphans, and anyone who dare raise a yellow flag, on either side of the border, are shot down (sometimes literally), threatened and harassed by the crusade.

Rinse. Repeat. Rinse. Repeat.

So, this agency in PA.... how far a leap from the Focus on Adoption folks in one incarnation or another?

Clean and clear, with no stinky residue

Do you not recall, the memory is to be scrubbed clean and clear of all bad-wrong-doing in previous lives?

<Focus on the family.... focus on the family.... do the right thing, buy an orphan,  and focus on the family's orphan crusade.... wooo....getting dizzy from all this going in family circles thing >

Sorry got caught-up in that silly brain-washing adoption-fog thing.  [Damn crazy voices... can't get rid of em....]

Where was I?

Oh...right.... The Amother/owner of the new adoption program adopted from Guatemala... which means what, exactly?  She can recognize a scam when she sees one, or she doesn't believe another country half a world away would do that same crap, in a different place?

Like these NEW orphans will be different?

Um... did we not learn ANYTHING about the international adoption industry through countries like Guatemala?

Or are we still pretending a country can keep greed and self-interests OUT of international adoption plans.

 

"Oh...right.... The

"Oh...right.... The Amother/owner of the new adoption program adopted from Guatemala... which means what, exactly?  She can recognize a scam when she sees one"

More like, she sees no silly barriers to baby buying (from the poor who don't deserve their babies anyway). And she's prolly a-fixin' to get herself another one! Maybe twins! Aww, heck, Kerry.... they're on sale!

that's rich!

Aww, heck, Kerry.... they're on sale!

Almost snorted my drink through my nose!

You know, the best thing about poor orphans birthed by poor people?  No health problems!  Suuuure, there may be lead or mercury in the food/water supply, and who knows what/if any type of pesticide/chemical spraying is done by any weird testing group.... we can all be certain of this --  poor struggling birthing-age females in East Jabip can't get they're over-worked paws on anything expensive and dangerous like alcohol, crack or prescription meds.

Care to share some celebratory bubbly as we plan our next baby shower?  I hear if you work hard and quick, you can get a child under the time it takes for a regular gestation.

 

 

Serbian Adoptions

I just completed a Serbian Adoption. Adoption facilitators are ILLEGAL in Serbia. Serbian adoptions are FREE on the Serbian side. There are NO in-country fees other than things like, going to the police station where you present the adoption decree and the new birth certificate is issued, the child's passport, the medical appointment, and the VISA (which is paid to the US Embassy and is a US fee, not a Serbia fee.) The US Visa is the most expensive at $400. The total for all of it is about $600. Adoptive families are to be working directly with the Ministry department. The ONLY children able to be adopted out of Serbia are those with physical or mental disabilities, and no child can be adopted before the age of one, and they are first available for domestic adoption. (there are 480 Serbian families waiting to adopt healthy infants.) There is an agency here in the US offering a new "Serbian Adoption Program", and they supposedly have met with the Ministry officials there, and the agency's "in country adoption facilitator will assist you." Oh, and those families can wait for a healthy infant while the agency takes their $45,000!!!! Adoption in Serbia is 100% FREE!!!!! The Ministry has set it up this way for a REASON! They don't want ANYONE profiting on these children! http://adoption.state.gov/country/serbia.html

Forgot to mention

I forgot to mention, there are only 22 children currently legally available for international adoption from Serbia. I have met the majority of them. Every single child I have met has significant physical or mental disabilities, or needs medical care not available to them in Serbia.

In bold-print

Thanks for the update... there really is no need to pay such ridiculous fees, especially when one realizes the price-difference in a domestic plan.

Personally, I'm not sure what I think/ how I feel about the bold-print found on the State Dept page for Serbia:

In most cases, Serbia will allow Americans to adopt only children with physical or mental disabilities that are most effectively treated in the United States.

My first thought is:  why must a child be adopted before effective treatment for a condition is given? 

It reminds me of children with cleft lips, and the people who adopt an easy-to-fix "special need" ... something very odd about the agreement.

The reason

The reason for this is there are certain agencies claiming that people can get healthy infants...something highly sought after among adoptive parents...and will take A LOT of money from prospective parents. (I was just contacted by a family who just paid a US agency $40,000 to adopt a child from Serbia!) Then the parents wait YEARS for a child that doesn't exist. Serbia makes it clear. All healthy infants are adopted by Serbian families. If you want to only adopt a healthy infant, go elsewhere.

Sadly, like most of Eastern Europe (Serbia is actually considered Southern Europe but tends to get lumped in with EE) children with disabilities have no place in society. It's changing. Slowly. But it is where the US was in th 40's as far as disabilities go. In the meantime, those children get little-to-no medical care and die very early deaths. The child I just adopted has Down syndrome and is an amazing little boy who was destined a very early death in a Serbian institution.

Serbia is working toward

Serbia is working toward membership in the Hague convention. To do so, they need to make improvements in all of their facilities such as orphanages and mental institutions. Part of that means greatly reducing their numbers while also increasing staff ratios. Allowing children with disabilities to be adopted internationally, where medical care is more readily available, helps reduce those numbers. Still, with only 22 children registered for international adoption, and very few families willing to adopt children who have significant disabilities, that process isn't going to happen very fast.

Serbia is working hard to make changes in the care children with disabilities receive, but you are talking about discrimination that goes back to Stalin. It won't happen quickly, just like it didn't happen quickly here in the US.

Pound Pup Legacy