Laos Investigation into Baby Selling for Adoption to Australia, Canada and US; Suspends Foreign Adoptions of Babies on List UPDATED

By Rally on 2-08-2012 in Australia, Canada, International Adoption, Laos, Thailand, Trafficking, US

“Laos is investigating a retired justice ministry official for allegedly selling adopted babies to Australians, Americans and Canadians for thousands of dollars each.

The official is accused of seeking out unwanted babies in poor rural areas, obtaining adoption papers and selling the infants to foreigners for up to $5,000 each, according to a Radio Free Asia report on Monday.

He has been taken in for questioning. Laos has suspended foreign adoptions pending the outcome of the investigation.

‘‘Adopting a child for sale… is a crime related to human trafficking, no question about it,’’ a government official told the radio station.

The justice ministry is probing how the scam worked, including whether the birth parents sold their infants, which can constitute a human trafficking offence punishable by a three-to-five-year jail term, the official said.

It was not clear how many children were involved in the alleged adoption ring.

The retired official was ‘‘familiar’’ with most of the justice ministry’s employees and had often applied for adoption and naturalisation papers, the report said.

Laos is listed as Tier Two – out of three – in the US State Department’s 2011 anti human trafficking report, which praises the government’s ‘‘significant efforts’’ to combat the problem.

The US, however, said the government had ‘‘never administratively or criminally punished any public official for complicity in trafficking in persons’’. ”

Unwanted babies ‘sold to Australians’
[The Age 2/7/12]

“A retired justice ministry officer in Laos has been hauled up for questioning after he “adopted” newborn babies from hospitals and poor rural households and allegedly sold them—mostly to Americans, Canadians, and Australians, according to government officials.

The officer, who obtained adoption papers from the justice and foreign affairs ministries for babies that had been taken away from their parents, is accused of selling the infants—all one to two years old—for U.S. $1,500 to $5,000 each.”

““What he did for adoption was legal, but selling babies was [illegal],” a Lao national security official investigating the case told RFA, saying the retired officer had been taken in for interrogations.

“He is the one who goes around hospitals and poor rural homes to locate unwanted babies and takes them to be sold later,” the official said.

It is not know how many babies have been linked to the trade but Laos has gained notoriety in recent years for human trafficking.”

“Adoption freeze

The Lao national security ministry has forwarded a report on the investigations over the babies-for-sale scam to the ministries of justice and foreign affairs, requesting them to suspend the issuance of adoption papers for babies on the suspect list, officials said.

The adoption papers will be issued only to immediate families who want to take charge of the babies, they said.

A justice ministry official said it is investigating whether the babies had actually been sold, which can constitute a human trafficking offense punishable by a three-to-five-year imprisonment.

“We are going to look into the [economic] situation of the parents to assess their need to give up the child,” the official said.

“Adopting a child for sale later is a crime, related to human trafficking, no question about it,” the official said. “We cannot say anything before the investigation is over.”

The official confirmed that the retired officer is “familiar” with most of the ministry’s employees and that he often applied for adoption and naturalization papers.

No specific law

Laos has no specific law to check human trafficking, officials have said.

This “loophole” allows human traffickers to pose as “adopted parents,” making it difficult for enforcement officials to distinguish them from “genuine adopted parents,” an anti-human trafficking official in Vientiane said recently.

It also makes it difficult to indict traffickers, the official said.

At present, Laos uses the criminal code to deal with the human trafficking problem.

According to the U.S. State Department’s 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report, court proceedings of human trafficking cases in Laos “lacked due process and transparency.”

International groups and non-governmental organizations have also been unable to verify data provided by the Lao government, the report said.

The government did not report prosecuting any cases of internal trafficking, while the impunity of corrupt government officials remained a problem throughout the Lao justice system, it said.

The report also highlighted corruption, which it said is “endemic” in Laos.

Observers of trafficking in Laos believe that some public officials—particularly at local levels—are involved in facilitating human trafficking, sometimes in collusion with counterparts in neighboring Thailand, the report said.

“Nevertheless, the government has never reported any officials investigated, prosecuted, or punished for involvement in trafficking in persons.”

The Lao National Assembly approved a National Plan of Action on human trafficking in 2007 but it has not been endorsed by the prime minister’s office.”

Laos: Officer Questioned For Trafficking In Babies
[Eurasia Review 2/6/12 by Apochart Sopapong]

According to DOS, the Office of Prime Minister is solely responsible for approving adoptions of Lao children to foreigners. The decree is issued by the Ministry of Justice. There were 6 placements to the US in FY2011. Laos is not party to the Hague Convention.

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Adoption may be being used as a cover for human trafficking. The link to Thailand is also disappointing.

Update: “Mike Pryor, press officer at the US Embassy in Laos, said Laos “suspended foreign adoptions on January 9″ but did not offer any specific reason for the move.”

Laos probes sale of babies to foreigners

[News 24 2/6/12]

As of the posting of this update on February 8, 2012, there is NO message about this on USE Laos site or DOS. What would be more important than informing PAPs that a country has suspended adoptions? They have known for almost ONE MONTH!?!

Categories

Search REFORM Talk

Recent Comments

Laos Investigation into Baby Selling for Adoption to Australia, Canada and US; Suspends Foreign Adoptions of Babies on List UPDATED

Submit a Comment Cancel reply