There's adoption-related international news from all over, so here's some of it ...

Last week saw "Adoption Consciousness Week" observed in Philippines, and Holt International worked with the Department of Social Welfare's InterCountry Adoption Board in getting information out and about.

Hopefully, the Philippines will realize the need to immediately provide nurturing families for starving children rather than allowing their delayed development and consequential retardation in horrifying orphanages, hazardous streets and contaminating prisons. As of the moment, the long, tedious and litigious judicial process for adoption remains the largest impediment to these children’s integration with suitable and loving families.

Yes. That would be a good thing.

Ukraine and the Czech Republic are about to simplify legal relations on adoption.

According to Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych, a Ukrainian official delegation, headed by Deputy Justice Minister Lidiya Horbunva have left for Prague, Czech Republic to adjust a text of the bipartite agreement, regulating bipartite relations on adoption.

Oleksandr Lavrynovych stressed the alleged amendments are expedient in view of passing the Civil Code of Ukraine and the Family Code of Ukraine, as well as the Law of Ukraine "On International Private Right". The Ukrainian party is interested in amending the document to solve a number of problems on provision of rights of Ukrainians.

This, titled, "Tamil Nadu is home to adoption rackets and child-labour gangs" tells tales of kidnapping and sales of children ... a horrifying portrayal of life where poverty strips away much of anything shiny and bright for the people who live this reality.

In December last year, police bust a begging racket in Tiruchy on the tip-off from a 12-year-old boy who had been held for pick-pocketing. District Collector Ashish Vachani chatted up the boy at the remand home he was kept in and the boy described his horror tale of how he was taken away from his parents when he was seven and tortured with burning cigarettes into learning to pick pockets and steal.

The same night a police team raided two houses in Thiruverambur serving as hideouts for training kidnapped children in burglary and thievery.

... Of the total 1,143 female children and 772 male children reported missing that year, 27 girls were kidnapped (probably for prostitution); a girl and a boy were trafficked; six girls and a boy kidnapped for begging on the streets; one boy child murdered (suspected to have been offered as sacrifice by a tantrik); 250 boys and 289 girls ran away from their homes after being scolded by their parents; 140 boys and 59 girls fled their homes after failing their examinations; five boys and seven girls ran away fearing arrest for petty acts of rebellion like throwing stones at their neighbour’s houses etc; and 170 boys and 263 girls were feared to have been lost during temple festivals and big gatherings and for “other reasons.”

Informed Adoption Advocates ... I wrote about them a few days ago ... are asking for articles by international adoptees on the following topics:

> Gotcha day
> Red threads, ladybugs and other adoption lore
> The hard truths about your child's past
> Changing your child's name
> Being the only adoptee/person of color in the family (should parents
> adopt again?)
> First parent fantasies
> Visit trips
> DNA testing for siblings
> Talking with kids about racism
> Validating your child's feelings
> Talking to your kids about adoption
> Cultural camps and schools
> Dealing with being a conspicuous family
> Keeping your child's culture

And for a look at a successful reunion between sisters from China adopted by different American families, here's a link to a local TV news story about them. It may not be up for long, but for now is under Health: DNA testing, and the girls are just wonderful!