As
someone who has worked in Child Welfare both in Ethiopia and the US, I regularly am
contacted by reporters from both countries. I find it interesting
to see what the press, most likely influenced by what they perceive as public interest, desires to prove
true, or at least report. When speaking with journalists I have gotten the impression that my responses have not been sensational enough. This post is intended for them.
Reporters in
Ethiopia
Almost
all the interviews I have done in Ethiopia were conducted to address organ selling and
child abuse. I continuously am asked how much money adoptive families receive for the
organs of the children they adopt. Those who have asked me this are convinced the selling of organs is a regular practice; why else
would someone invest $20,000 or more to adopt a poor (sometimes
severely disabled) African child?
My
response is always: I am not aware of any organs of Ethiopian adopted children
being sold.
The
other question centers on the public's concern that these children are abused
by their adoptive parents. A recent story about a young girl who died in Washington State served to fuel the erroneous perception of what happens to children who are adopted overseas.
My
response? Even though extensive care is taken to
ensure families meet the strictest guidelines, still it is true that some children may end up being abused. But just like there are abusive birth
parents, there are also abusive adoptive parents. Most adoptive parents, however, and I emphasize most, are really great parents.
Reporters ask, "Isn't it just better to have children stay in Ethiopia than risk the chance
of being abused overseas?"
My response: Though there are abusive dads, no one proposes that all dads be deprived
of the privilege of fatherhood. As well, though great care is always
taken to minimize the risk of placing children with families that may abuse their children, sometimes it happens. However, and this is vital to acknowledge and accept: adoption is a good option for a lot of orphans.
Reporters in
the US
Reporters
in the US (and perhaps the public) are convinced that children are sold by poor
mothers; why else would they give up their children so easily?
I
have no evidence that supports this. Although it is tempting to think
that if someone is poor enough they would sell their children for a goat or $20.00, most parents relinquish their children because they are unable
to care for them and want them to have a better future and receive proper care.
Another
question I am asked is about children being snatched from birth mothers, and adoption/child
welfare professionals being paid ridiculous amount of money to "harvest"
children. The biggest doubt people and
reporters in the US have seems to focus on the overall adoption process in Ethiopia. They are convinced that every adoption originating in Ethiopia is completed unethically.
Well,
I have seen bad practice in the world of Adoption. (For example, birth mothers who were not properly
counseled, or a mother lying about being raped for fear of being denied the
right to relinquish a child.) I have also seen bad practice in foster care.
(Foster parents taking in children only to abuse them or use them as maids.) Further, I have seen bad practice in family reunification. (Children being reunified with
birth parents who abuse them so badly that they severely injured them, or
families who love but can’t or don’t want to care for their children and are forced
to take them back.)
When
the focus is not the Orphan and we become religious about “only one option as
best,” there is always a chance for bad practice.
I have conducted hundreds of Orphan Status Verifications. Out of the hundreds I have
verified, very few had falsified paperwork. Most of the cases had inconsistencies,
but almost all of them had inconsistencies that were created by lack of
education about the paperwork process. Cultural barriers also regularly contribute to what may appear to outsiders as bad practice.
Conclusion
So,
as someone who has seen child welfare first hand both here in the US and in
Ethiopia, I would like to make a public statement:
To those who voice concern about organ
selling and child abuse: there is such a thing called Post Placement Visits and
Post Placement Reports. There are some horrible cases, but based on the reports
piled up at the Ministry Of Women Children and Youth Affairs, most of the
children are doing well.
Do all adoptive families sell their adopted children's organs? NO! Are all adoptive families child molesters? NO! Are all adoptive families perfect, and thus not require home studies or post placement reports? NO! Should international adoptions be banned? Most emphatically: NO!
As the founder of an organization that
conducts Third Party Orphan Status Verifications, I wish to speak to those who seem to, more and more, be labeling the children coming out of Ethiopia as non-orphans and a victims of bad practice:
Ethiopian children who are in need of families are worthy of being adopted; there is no amount of possible corruption that can alter this fact.
However: are adoption cases from Ethiopia so clean and transparent that an adoptive parent does not need an Orphan Status Verification? NO.
Simply put: Adopt responsibly.
All adoptive families should do their homework regarding the child to whom they are being referred. If nothing else, they will
have the peace of mind knowing they did everything in their power to learn
everything they could about their child. That way, when the time comes to pass
on their child’s history, they’ll have something to share.
