An Open Letter from Norma Cruz to Senator Mary Landrieu

The following letter was provided to PEAR for publication at large. It follows up CICIG's request for clarification from Senator Landrieu on her comments questioning the legitimacy of the CICIG report Players Involved in the Illegal Adoption Process in Guatemala since the Entry into Force of the Adoption Law referenced in our blog on May 4, 2011 - http://pear-now.blogspot.com/2011/05/cicigs-report-on-players-involved-in.html. Senator Landrieu has not yet made a statement clarifying her position on the CICIG report.



Dear Senator Landrieu,

During your short visit at the end of April to Guatemala, your agenda did not include Fundacion Sobrevivientes. As a result, I am writing this letter on behalf of the organization as well as the women of Guatemala who suffer living in the most violent country in the Western Hemisphere. We have the shameful statistic of two deaths of every day as a result of femicide, in addition to countless rapes and alarming rates of domestic violence. All of these social problems fuel human trafficking. On the issue of human sales, I am writing on behalf of the mothers who have lost their children to human trafficking, including illegal intercountry adoptions. I am currently very concerned about three specific cases—three young girls we know as Karen Abigail, Heidi, and Arlen Scarlett.

Since we share the same opinion that criminals must be prosecuted, especially those who were involved with illegal adoptions from Guatemala, I know that you will be sympathetic to these cases. In regards to progress on that mission, I am happy to report that a notorious adoption attorney, Susana Luarca was just arrested last week for her involvement with the case of Karen Abigail. While this is a good step forward, Luarca’s arrest is just one of many that are necessary to prosecute the criminals involved in the hidden structures of organized crime and adoptions in Guatemala. Given your commitment to justice, I am asking for your assistance in our quest for further criminal hearings. As I am sure that you know, the Government of Guatemala made a formal request to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) for the DNA tests of Karen Abigail, Heidi, and Arlen Scarlett. Their mothers Loyda, Raquel, and Olga ask that you use your influence and passion for ethical adoptions to help move this cause forward. This DNA request, dating back five years now, has yet to receive a satisfactory response from DOJ. We still await test results to legally and officially verify the child abductions and confirm the whereabouts of the girls in the USA.

Further, in the USA, we need a collaborative law enforcement response above and beyond the DNA tests. We have reason to believe that Celebrate Children International (CCI) adoption agency of Florida was involved in the aforementioned illegal adoptions. I assume that you know there are well over a thousand documents related to complaints and other documentation on file with the state of Florida licensing board in regards to this agency (CCI). As we say in Guatemala, there is a “mountain” of evidence indicating this agency’s poor practices and illegal activities taking place in my country. Another agency is Felicity Children in Miami and we suspect, like CCI, that this agency was also involved in illegal adoptions. Finally, others who must be investigated include social worker Elizabeth Thomas-Colwell who was formerly a licensed social worker (LCSW) in the state of Illinois. Again we have reason to believe that she was involved poor practices and potentially illegal adoptions.

Finally, as you know, the UN Commission on Impunity has been an incredibly important organization in Guatemala as we struggle for justice and fight against organized crime. Their December 2010 report on adoptions from Guatemala, including an extensive review of records and sampling of cases, was an important landmark in moving forward in the prosecutions of those involved in illegal adoptions. I understand that you are not in agreement with their findings. I am sure that you know that the Commission has asked for a response from you in regards to your recent comments. As I stand by the integrity of the research and the report itself, I too am requesting a formal response from you so that you may clarify your position. Please see the English version of the report at http://findingfernanda.com/2011/04/cicigs-december-2010-adoption-report-english-spanish/ and the follow-up request for a response at http://findingfernanda.com/2011/04/cicig-responds-to-senator-landrieu/

In closing, we anticipate another hunger protest on behalf of the three mothers and their daughters. We hope that you will join us in solidarity, at least in spirit. If you want to know more about our 2009 hunger protest, please see: http://www.socmag.net/?p=540

I appreciate your response to this open letter.

Sincerely,


Norma Cruz
2008 “Woman of Courage” Recipient awarded by the US Department of State

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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Attorney Susana Luarca Arrested in Guatemala

Susana Luarca, aka María de la Asunción Loarca Saracho, an attorney who assisted numerous intercountry adoptions from Guatemala was arrested yesterday in Guatemala and charged with trafficking, adoption abnormalities, and falsification of documents in connection with adoptions she handled for foreign families.

The following article explains the charges and circumstances surrounding the arrest:

TRIBUNALES: Se le acusa de trata de personas y documentos falsificados
Capturan a abogada sindicada de ser cabecilla de red de adopciones anómalas, http://www.lahora.com.gt/notas.php?key=59930&fch=2009-12-16

The article is in Spanish but can be translated via Google Translator or other online translation services.

Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

The best interests of the child: Children stolen for adoption- Guatemala and beyond

In 2006, 4 Guatemalan girls were stolen from their mothers. One of those girls was identified just prior to adoption and returned to her mother Ana Escobar. The other 3 girls are believed to be adopted by US adoptive parents who, through no fault of their own, are now faced with difficult issues.

I cannot imagine the fear, anger, and grief that the Adoptive Parents of these girls might be feeling now. It is certainly not fair that they find themselves in this situation.

Adoptive parents who may find themselves in the situation of parenting a child who may have been stolen should know that they are not alone; there are others who have walked this path. Many of these parents have chosen to establish a relationship with the child's first family.

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You can read several cases of families who chose to open their adoption and establish relationships with their child's first families:

David and Desire Smolin
Julia and Barry Rollings
Mosley family

You can read stories of families who have not chosen to establish a relationship:

Wisconsin family
McKrola family
Borz family
In particular, here is a powerful video of Gustavo Tobar

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Children grow fast, the needs of the infant are different than the needs of the teen and young adult....today's decisions impact a whole life.

Identifying an adopted child as a stolen child, does not automatically lead to returning the child to the first family. That has virtually never happened to US adoptive parents of a stolen international child.

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For more than a year, the situations of three mothers of stolen children, Raquel, Olga, and Loyda, have been championed by Norma Cruz of the Survivors Foundation in Guatemala. Ms Cruz was one of 8 women worldwide who were recognized in March 2009, as Women of Courage by the US Secretary of State.

You can read about Raquel, Olga, and Loyda

For myself, the one thing that is very clear, is that the 3 mothers in Guatemala: Raquel, Olga, and Loyda, deserve to know where their child is currently living.

It is clear to me, that extensive DNA tests should be used to determine whether the children in question are the daughters stolen from Raquel, Olga,and Loyda. (Sadly, the original DNA tests performed in Guatemala were probably falsified.)

Disrupting the young girl's lives and abruptly returning them to their first mothers may not be in the girl's best interests.

But it is clear to me that it is in the best interest of the girls to be able to have a relationship with the mothers they were stolen from.

It is possible to do, and it is the right thing to do.

Mothers in Guatemala Demand Justice

Norma Cruz and members of The Survivor's Foundation (La Fundacion Sobrevivientes) are on the fourth day of strike in front of the Family Court Building in Guatemala City today. They are demanding justice be served for those responsible for the processing of four illegal adoptions.

In a shocking decision two weeks ago, attorneys and facilitators involved in the processing of the illegal adoption of Esther Sulamita, daughter of Ana Escobar, were found not guilty. The judge on the case stated not enough evidence despite the attorney's name and signature being on the falsified DNA test.

Ana's case was the first indisputable case of kidnapping where the child passed a DNA test for US immigration. Ms. Norma Cruz, Director of Sobrevivientes, is demanding justice be served and believes this is a case of impunity which often runs rampant in Guatemala.

Ms. Cruz demanded the return of three other stolen children believed to have been adopted and now living in the US. Daughters of Olga Lopez (known as "Cindy Garcia"), Loyda Rodriguez (known as "Dulce Maria" or "Karen Abigail") and Raquel Par (known as "Kimberli Azucena") are still missing. To date, the US adoptive parents have not come forward voluntarily.

A reward is now offered for information on these three girls. If you have any information on these children, please call (502) 2413-8888 EXT 2226 or The Survivor's Foundation at (502) 2230-4222 / 2251-9931 / 2232-7967 or asobrevivientes@yahoo.es