Ethiopian children sold by the State
Written by: Kristoffer Pinholt
December 31st, 2012
"Poor Ethiopian mothers are under intense pressure to give up their children
for adoption to prospective parents in the Western world," says DR
correspondent Line Gertsen, an investigative journalist reporting from the
impoverished African nation of Ethiopia, which right now is at the center of
adoption scandal to richer parts of the world.
Masho sold by the state
Investigative reporter Line Gertsen traveled to Ethiopia on a seven day trip
in the wake of a new Danish documentary film about an Ethiopian married
couple who were persuaded to transfer their two children, Masho and Roba,
into what they perceived as temporary arrangements that would provide
education before their children eventually return home to their parents. But
in an unfortunate turn of events, the Danish adoptive parents were not
prepared to meet the needs of the two children who already had parents, and
who had suffered severe psychological trauma (attachment disorder) as a
consequence of the adoption, thereby compelling the Danish parents to place
the older adopted child, Masho, in an orphanage in Denmark.
"Masho's parents feel that the Ethiopian government has sold their
children," says Line Gertsen. "There is massive pressure on poor parents to
give up their newborn babies for adoption." A 20-year old mother who fled a
women's shelter with her baby said government officials had attempted to
take away her baby and put the baby up for adoption. "They tried to
discourage me from raising my child," said the young mother.
Big Business
There are several actors involved in the adoption process in Ethiopia. But
it is the Ethiopian government and the adoption agencies that are first and
foremost to persuade the women to give their children up for adoption.
According to DR Information, the Hospitals also pressure women to give away
their new-born babies for adoption. The reason behind it is money.
There is a lot of money to be made in Ethiopia in the name of adoption. It
costs $135,000 Danish Krone (US$24,000) to adopt a child from Ethiopia
through an agency such as DanAdopt. Of the money $33,000 Krone (US$6,000)
goes to the Ethiopian government, $49,500 Krone (US$8,000) goes to DanAdopt
agency, and $39,900 Krone (US$7,000) goes to the orphanage. The rest goes to
administration fees.
"In a country where the courts charge a modest $10 Krone (US$2) fee to
process adoption papers, the biological parents whom we spoke to were
dismayed to find that the government is charging foreign adoptive parents
$135,000 Danish Krone (US$24,000) per child," said Line Gertsen.
Masho's parents are unsettled
According to an Ethiopian attorney Muluembet Tilahun, adoption agencies
falsify birth certificates to claim the adoptee are younger than their
actual age to justify adoptions, and convince parents to hand over their
children through fraud or misleading information. He advises Masho's parents
to be very concerned about their daughter's fate who's now placed in an
orphanage in Denmark, and also about their younger son, Roba who still lives
with the Danish adoptive parents.
Masho's parents, however, haven't decided yet to whether they want to see
their daughter return home to Ethiopia or not.
Watch video report in Denish
<
http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Indland/2012/12/02/203541.htm>
Video-
http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Indland/2012/12/02/203541.htm
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Received on Mon Dec 31 2012 - 11:56:51 EST
