Cambodia Sadness
I recently read THIS article and it made me so sad. Just the words in the link....Cambodia...adoption...child trafficking...western parents...abuse. The news video (much more telling than the article) hits me on so many levels.
Seeing video of Cambodia and the children there just makes me ache. I know it's not best for that program to open back up when nothing has changed to protect those children (and families). I know that there are many parents here in the U.S. that are like me, dreading the day that I am going to have to tell my daughter that I just don't know for sure how she came to us. At the same time, I see those children. Those beautiful children growing up in orphanages. And I want something to change! I want something to change for them, and for the parents that feel so desperate that it has somehow become conceivable to sell their child for a few dollars. And I DO want something to change with the adoption laws so that an ethical adoption program could begin in Cambodia.
Every year that goes by I lose a bit more hope that change will ever occur.
Anita
2 comments:
You know I'm the first to say that Cambodia's adoption program has its share of problems. But I thought that story/video was an extremely poor example of journalism. For one thing, the list that Licadho person had has to be at least 7 years old - most of those agencies aren't even in business anymore. And the "prices" there weren't the cost for a child, it was the agencies' fees. And then there's the whole issue of the way they made it seem like a parent relinquishing their child because they want him/her to have a better life was the ultimate example of trafficking - um, what do you think happens in America and other Western nations? Most adoptions here are relinquishments and I would bet in nearly every case the birthmother says she is making that choice in hopes her child will have a better life. (and don't even get me started on how much money changes hands here in the U.S.!!)
Sorry, I guess I should have written my own blog post on this! LOL. Anyway...I often wonder if Cambodia will ever reopen to US adoptions, but I really don't know that it's any more corrupt than most other countries we do adoptions with. God willing, one day soon they'll be able to set up some kind of process that can protect the children from most of the fraud in the system.
Chris, I think the biggest think that has to change is the relinquishment/abandonment thing. If I'm not mistaken (and I could be!) the law says that parents can't relinquish their children for adoption. Only abandoned kids can be adopted. If that's the only choice it seems that there are always going to be children whose histories are erased because the parents couldn't relinquish them. Even if just THAT changed, I think it would make a huge difference in the ability of the program to reopen. I want it to reopen so badly for my own selfish reasons, but not without some change. I think there are a lot of programs out there that can be corrupt, but not many with as much possibility for corruption as Cambodia. =-(
Anita
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