UPDATE: Kyrgyzstan – US Special Advisor for Children’s Issues Travels to Kyrgyzstan

The following press release was made yesterday by the Office of Children’s Issues. We are assuming this in response to the recent scandal in Kyrgyzstan involving misconduct by US adoption agencies and the subsequent suspension of their accreditation in Kyrgyzstan. We request the US DOS to disclose the identity of the agency alleged to have given bribes to the Kyrg …

DOS Announcement: Approval of Bi-Lateral Adoption Agreement with Russia

Russia July 10, 2012 Notice: Approval of the Agreement between the United States of America and the Russian Federation Regarding Cooperation in Adoption of Children On July 10, 2012 the Russian Duma approved the bilateral adoption agreement signed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on July 13, 2011.  This marks a significant milestone toward …

Suspension of Huminska’s Anioly, Inc. lifted

Suspension of Huminska’s Anioly, Inc. lifted The Council on Accreditation (COA) has announced that effective April 13, 2012 it has terminated the suspension of the Hague accreditation of Huminska’s Anioly, Inc. that was imposed effective March 6, 2012. Huminska’s Anioly, Inc. completed its corrective action plan to COA’s satisfaction and COA has determined that Huminska’s Anioly, Inc. is now in …

Ambassador Susan Jacobs to Discuss Intercountry Adoption in Colombia

Special Advisor for International Children’s Issues Travels to ColombiaMedia Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC February 22, 2012 Special Advisor for International Children’s Issues Ambassador Susan Jacobs is traveling to Bogota, Colombia, February 22-24, 2012 for meetings with The Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (ICBF) to discuss intercountry adoption and international parental child abduction issues. They will also discuss …

USCIS and DOS Updates on Ethiopia Processing

At it’s Ocotber 28 Statkeholder Meeting on Ethiopia, USCIS promised to post Notes form the meeting to its website for parents unable to attend the teleconference. The notes were published this week, but leave a lot of room for improvement: “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) invited stakeholders to call and discuss USCIS processing of Ethiopian adoption cases which the …

Nepal: Children for sale (Al Jazeera)

Nepal: Children for sale (Al Jazeera) With weak law enforcement, can foreigners adopting children from Nepal be sure that they are really orphans? http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/101east/2011/09/2011920125119853524.html Video: http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/winners/2012/pieces.php?iid=429797&pid=1Orphaned, abandoned or trafficked? That is the question facing foreigners who wish to adopt Nepali children. International adoption services have provided a lucrative business to poverty-stricken Nepal. But in 2007, Nepal stopped adoptions for two …

The Children Left Behind (The Pulitzer Center)

The Children Left Behind LISA DESAI AND HABIBA NOSHEEN, FOR THE PULITZER CENTER, KATHMANDU, NEPAL Published on June 29, 2011 Nepal became an important source of children for international adoption in part because adoption is not widely practiced or accepted among the Nepalese, an attitude that is prevalent across South Asia. But the United States and several other countries have …

FAQs: Bilateral Adoption Agreement with Russia

FAQs: Bilateral Adoption Agreement with RussiaJuly 13, 2011 Q: Why is there a Bilateral Adoption Agreement with Russia?Each year, thousands of children find loving, nurturing homes through intercountry adoptions, and thousands of American families are enriched by welcoming Russian orphans into their homes. In light of concerns raised by several tragic cases, in April 2010, the U.S. and Russian governments …

DOS Press release: Agreement between the United States of America and the Russian Federation Regarding Cooperation in Adoption of Children

Agreement between the United States of America and the Russian Federation Regarding Cooperation in Adoption of Children Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC July 13, 2011 The Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security announced today, July 13, 2011, that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov signed a bilateral adoptions agreement that …

Russia – US Bi-Lateral Agreement on Intercountry Adoption to be Signed Today

According to the public schedule for secretary of State Hilary Clinton, the bi-lateral adoption agreement between Russia and the US will be signed today at 2 pm Eastern time. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/appt/2011/07/168149.htm Radio Free Europe released an article on the agreement earlier today: http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-us_adoption_treaty_introduces_stronger_controls_/24264751.html The Department of State, Office of Children’s Issues will be holding a stakeholders meeting July 14 to fill …