RESOURCE: Video of “Stolen Children: Illegal Practices in International Adoption and the Need for Reform”

Erin Siegal of Finding Fernanda, has posted a link to the video from the “Stolen Children: Illegal Practices in International Adoption and the Need for Reform” conference at American University’s Washington College of Law. http://findingfernanda.com/2011/06/video-from-stolen-children-conference/ Ethics, Transparency, Support~ What All Adoptions Deserve.http://www.pear-now.org/ People for Ethical Adoption Reform www.pear-now.org

Advocacy Alert: Adoptive Parent Petition to the Joint Council on International Child Services

An adoptive mother of a child from Ethiopia has started a petition to the JCICS to reconsider their “Emergency Campaign” to the slowdown in adoption processing in Ethiopia. The preamble for the petition states: This is a response of adoptive parents, prospective adoptive parents, adoptees, and others with an interest and concern in the international adoption programs with Ethiopia to …

PEAR Questions to US Department of State

PEAR has asked the following questions to Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs, Janice L. Jacobs during the Ask the State Department Celebrate National Adoption Month open questioning period that ends November 30. The State Department will be selecting questions and answering them on their website in December. 1. How can China be considered “Hague-compliant” with open trafficking rampant enough for …

Where is the JCICS Ethiopia Report?

According to information posted on the JCICS website, a team undertook a fact-finding mission to Ethiopia from October 2-October 9, 2009. This mission was partly in response to allegations made by an investigative television show in Australia called “Fly Away Children” about improprieties, trafficking, and “harvesting” of non-orphans from Ethiopia to the US. http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2009/s2686908.htm . One JCICS member agency, Christian …

UPDATE: China

According to the JCICS, the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) will require all adoptive families to register with a Hague Accredited ASP as of December 1, 2009. This applies to all waiting parents who filed a dossier with China prior to the Hague coming into full force in the US on April 1, 2009. Please note that this information …

Kazakhstan Adoptions Update

Yesterday the JCICS released this statement on Kazakhstan: “Joint Council confirms the suspension of dossier processing by the Kazakhstan Embassy and Consulates pending the finalization of a review of adoption cases by the Kazakhstan government. The following represents our understanding of the suspension. *The suspension of dossier processing by the Kazakhstan Embassy/Consulate is effective immediately.*Dossiers which have been processed and …

Update on PEAR’s Call to Action: Vietnam

In early December, JCICS requested that PEAR put together a list of organizations and individuals we felt JCICS should contact for input on their proposed Standards of Practice for Vietnam Adoptions. We submitted the following list to JCICS on December 6: Vietnam AP groups:APV (Adoptive Parents Vietnam Yahoo group) and ownersRateYourVietnamAdoptionAgency Yahoo Group and ownersFCVN (Families with Children from Vietnam)Nicki …