Human trafficking. Coercion. Intimidation. Kidnapping. These are not words usually associated with international adoption, but a UNICEF sponsored conference hosted in Kathmandu, Nepal tackles the underside of international adoptions, where stories of exploitation and greed are often more prevalent than happy endings involving Angelina Jolie and Madonna.
The five dozen delegations from 14 countries who participated in the Inter Country Adoption
Conference were called upon to enact child adoption mechanisms consistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child
and The Hague Convention. Adoptive children fetch a high price for agencies, many of which are more money laundering operation than properly qualified organization.
Countries like Nepal have seen a recent surge in demand for foreign adoptions, and demand from countries like the United States is likely spurred on by the imprimatur of celebrity. Thankfully, organizations like UNICEF try to watch out for poor families in impoverished countries so that they won't be taken advantage of by wealthy glitterati and their followers. Whether or not this protection is sufficient remains to be seen.
