"The Sins of the Saviour"s: Child Trafficking in the Context of Adoption in Africa

This June 2010 report on Child Trafficking in Adoption in Africa is a must-read. Compiled for the Hague Conference on Private International Law, this 32-page report by Dr. Benyam D. Mezmur discusses adoption and child laws as well as trafficking.

It gives examples of issues in many countries open to international adoption.

Section 4 is most important. Titles include Section 4.1 Child trafficking, buying, selling, and abducting in the context of adoption in Africa; Section 4.2 Child trafficking and the falsification of documents for intercountry adoption; Section 4.3 Not Just Consent, but “Informed and Free Consent”; Section 4.4 Improper financial or other gain and corruption; Section 4.5 Survival of the Cutest? Violation of the No Initial Contact Rule; Section 4.6 Residency requirements created as a responseto counter trafficking in the context of intercountry adoption; and Section 4.7 Abuse of Guardianship Orders to circumvent adoption safeguards.

REFORM Puzzle Piece

 

We have seen examples of all issues over the past few years that are explained in Section 4. Keep in mind that this report was published eighteen months ago so the data was from prior to that time period.  The Australian expose that was blown off by PAPs in September 2009 was not blown off by Ethiopians as that is when a petition to stop the illegal child trafficking of Ethiopian children was posted. What was perceived by US PAPs as a “shocking” slowdown in 2011 really was not shocking to any of us tracking the issues that have plagued Ethiopia for several years.