ACT: Against Child Trafficking has goals as simple and pure as its name with no hidden agenda and excepts no funding that would create any conflict of interest. ACT is the brainchild of my dear friend and colleague Roelie Post who has the privilege of having a non-adoption connected voice. As an "outsider" whose only connection to adoption has been on the job, she has the powerful ability to be taken more seriously than some of us who are hampered by being labeled "bitter." So committed to helping children in need, and so outspoken about abuses in adoption, Roelie was removed from her job at the EU but continues he fight because she has seen it all first hand - inside the orphanages and adoption agencies.
ACT's other "half" is Arun Dohle, of Germany, who has been active in adoption research since 2000. His main field of activity was for many years India, but since a few years he extended his work to other countries.
Children are obtained for adoption through coercion, fraud and kidnapping, but also through too permissive laws on child relinquishment and/or too rapid termination of parental rights. In many cases unscrupulous go-betweens have found that large profits can be made by arranging the transfer of children from poverty-stricken homes to people with means.
Many such children are sold for money (disguised as adoption fees) either through independent adoptions or through licensed and accredited adoption agencies and regulated by adoption laws.
ACT considers that this represents a demand-driven market in children, which should be labelled as child trafficking.
A Very Special Project of ACT - PARENTS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
ACT works together with local NGOs to retrace the trafficked children at the request of their parents, or to retrace the parents or extended family of trafficked children.
ACT also supports these parents and adoptees to take legal action.
These parents are mostly poverty stricken and living far away in the countryside. They may not have the means to travel to their country’s main cities to file their cases, let alone to pay a lawyer.
ACT supports these parents and adoptees in practical, legal and financial matters.
ACT's Parent Assistance program hopes to be bring mothers of kidnapped children to court and/or to meet their children incases where the court has ruled against annulling the adoption because of the age of the child.
No other organization is attempting or plans to do anything like this to reunify families torn about by child trafficking! Let's support this effort.
Please join me in donating as generously as you can and consider an ongoing monthly donation. If you wish to specifically support this project, please indicate ‘PAP’ in the subject line of your donation.
Think of the joy of helping just one mother have a peaceful Mothers' Day!
3 comments:
What a great initiative, wish them good luck and much success.
I wish child trafficking within countries was also addressed. It seems that people only think child trafficking happens when crossing boarders, when it also happens every day in the towns and cities we live in.
Absolutely right. Our gvt does nothing to oversee the interstate trafficking of children...except in one case I know of in 30 years where a minor was taken cross state lines while pregnant and her parents found ut and raised hell. She and he rbaby was saved, but nothing was done to the baby broker.
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