Export of children, a perverse business

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Export of children, a perverse business


Denunciation
By: Andrew Alfonso Pachon - Reporter El Pais

Although the private orphanages are audited by the state, the union that the Icbf asked to be removed.

Pius Alvaro Fernandez | El Pais   16 june 2006
 
Some private orphanages in Colombia will be profit sectors through bonds of economic assistance donated by international agencies. The cumbersome paperwork and time. The recent Constitutional Court ruling on the partial decriminalization of abortion in Colombia has put back on the table the topic of adoption as an alternative to what some consider an affront to life.

However, on this table of salvation front of abortion have fallen serious allegations, which the marketing of children to foreign families is the biggest drag. According to Maria Victoria Forero, president of Workers of the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare, ICBF, "Colombia is experiencing a perverse export of children for adoption by figures ranging from eight thousand and fifteen thousand dollars", which, in their view, has turned this proceeding into "a perverse business."

Forero asked for an archive project, which is currently in the Senate's First Committee on the Code for Children and said that one of the negative aspects of the initiative is that it allows the presence of private houses of adoption agencies and international adoption. He added that the country must end for private adoptions that these are state and no intermediaries, and that the Attorney General's Office is aware of the abnormal situation that has been presented.

Spokesmen for the Attorney General told El Pais that these allegations are known for quite some time, but refused to give any version, arguing that currently developing several research.

Traffic. According to Marina and Eric Ditesheim, a couple of spouses residing in Geneva, Switzerland, Colombia and Peru have very good international image in terms of adoption of children. " However, a recent development led to prefer the adoption through the ICBF and reject the offer they made an intermediary of a private orphanage.

In a sustained dialogue on its way through Cali, where he came to make up for adoption to Matthew, a boy of 3 years into neglect by the ICBF, the spouses Ditesheim noted that "in Geneva, we boarded a private intermediary of a center of Colombian adoption and asked us six thousand dollars as a guarantee that we would have a child, which led to mistrust us. "

To be consulted about the incident, the house of adoption that referred to the Ditesheim denied having representatives in Geneva, but admitted that in Colombia presents a gradual increase in child trafficking. The cumbersome and delayed adoption procedures are the engine of the illicit business, which at times can move up to $ 60,000, where brokers contact affluent customers in the U.S. and Europe, even by those who come to steal babies to their natural mothers.

Since 1998 the Mission of Intercountry Adoption, an official French body responsible for monitoring the trade of adopted children, complains that some countries in Latin America there are lawyers who remain in contact with doctors and nurses who in turn put pressure on mothers to leave their children, then those who are incarcerated in private orphanages.

In practice there is no such evidence in Colombia, according to the director general of the Center for Adoption Alice Chaos, in Cali, Galatlos Agatha Leon, the eight orphanages in the country are "armored" against this illegal. "I do not know where the trade union of Icbf out those versions. All the homes of private adoption in the country hold meetings with Beatriz Londono, director of the ICBF, and she knows how we work, "explains Ms. Leon.

The key data

Signed at The Hague in 1993, the 'Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption' forbids any kind of profit in the adoption process, as well as the sale and abduction of children.
 
Donations .
Al asked about resources for support of the institution that manages, Agatha Leon said that, like the others of its kind, receives state resources and donations, some of them international.

Says that they are never an imposition to the adoptive parents or a 'business mounted, "but admitted that government resources are not sufficient for the maintenance of the establishment and to look for other revenue sources.

"The families know that adoptive parents need help, but are free to adopt through a private organization that lives off donations or through the State (ICBF)," he says.

He explains that such institutions have a contract with the ICBF to meet certain amount of children between 2 and 10 years old, and that this money also covers 25% of the needs of the institution.

It adds that "another form of financing is through vaccination projects, medical care and support to the educational program, as well as support from foreign agencies and donations from some adoptive parents, which can reach seven thousand dollars per family."

On this point, Maria Victoria Forero said that there are international agencies that provide vouchers for the orphanages, particularly for procedures for adoption, and perhaps that is where you begin to cook the illegal business.

"Who knows? Behind a bonus of those many things can arise, "ruling. Ombudsman Volmar Perez, said on the subject which is now a legislative debate forward in order to regulate the adoption of a holistic way.

"The Ombudsman's Office has stressed the need to establish unequivocally the direct control of the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child through the ICBF, to prevent the proliferation of situations that are against minors and that is encourage economic interests or organized crime or foreign, "said Perez.

This newspaper tried to obtain statements from the director of the ICBF, Beatriz Londono, on the serious allegations of the union on adoptions, but received no response.

The number

2058 minors were given up for adoption to foreign families in 2005, another 1484 were taken by Colombian families.

Starting the process

Despite adopting a child in Colombia is free, there are a number of processes that ends represented a cost to the adoptive parents. Know who can adopt. Although the adoption in Colombia is free, the process is due to make a series of documents which represent costs to the applicants.

Once the child is assigned, should be initiated before the Family Court promiscuity of the legal process of adoption, which requires a lawyer, chosen directly by the family, which also represents an additional cost.

When the family is Colombian or foreign resident outside Colombia must communicate with the central authority or accredited agencies (such as agencies that coordinate adoption programs in the country of residence of the applicants), which will provide information on how to adopt a child.

Among the requirements to adopt are: having completed 25 years of age, have at least 15 years older than the adopter; ensure physical fitness, mental, moral and social enough to provide safe and stable home for adoption.

Among those who can take are:

The spouses and the couple formed by a man and a woman. The adoptive parents who have legitimate children, extramarital or adoptive do not have any ban to apply for adoption.

Notarial process generates controversy

A recent and controversial bill aimed at creating a notarized by adopting a product of rape, sexual violence and artificial insemination without consent, was introduced recently by Senator Jose Ignacio Mesa, generating a broad debate even before its 'Gestation'.

According to the senator, "the idea of the proposal is to invite women who have the decision to abort a mechanism to take care, prevention and psychological support from the state", giving them the opportunity to give the baby up for adoption occurs through the notary. His initiative has been referred to by many as a mercantilist process, although he says that there is no such.

"There is no way that my proposal is mercantilist, because the idea is to deliver the entire management to ICBF, which would make a list of eligible nationals and foreigners, making adoption faster and freeing women from the pressure of thinking on abortion "He says.

This proposal clarifies that the Icbf only has room, but not the homes of private adoption, in a manner that corresponds to state control, to select the adoptive parents and make all the rules of law.

So, once the child is born parents would choose within a list of eligible Icbf and, subsequently, through a notary, would run the direct delivery of the baby.

However, Senator Carlos Gaviria Diaz said no to the project because they consider unconstitutional. In his view, "to give consent for adoption is safe, requires the person to give it has taken its decision in a situation anímica appropriate."

Gaviria Diaz argues that the parameters to be taken into account to determine if the mother is not able or capable of giving consent are: there can be at the time of delivery, which has been previously reported that following the Pregnancy and childbirth may be at an emotional state can severely disrupt their decision, and that it has been informed that it has time to reflect, among others.