Additional Update: DOS Adoption Notice for Russia

The US Department of State has again updated the Russia Adoption Notice. Changes to the previous notice are highlighted by PEAR in green for convenience:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Children’s Issues

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April 26, 2010

We have received no official notification that adoptions of Russian orphans by Americans have been suspended, but it is clear the recent controversy has slowed down adoptions in some parts of the country.

The United States is sending a delegation to hold talks with Russian officials, now scheduled to take place on April 29 in Moscow. The United States plans to emphasize the importance of intercountry adoptions between our two countries, and will discuss our mutual concerns about how to better protect the welfare and rights of children and all parties involved in the intercountry adoption processs. On April 25, Secretary of State Clinton spoke by telephone with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. The issue of adoptions was raised. They discussed our shared commitment to the common goal of protecting the welfare and rights of children and all parties involved in intercountry adoptions.

Many thousands of Russian children have found loving, safe and permanent homes in the United States through intercountry adoption. Families in the United States have adopted more than 50,000 children from Russia.

If you have completed an adoption in Russia and have an immigrant visa appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow:

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow is continuing to schedule and issue immigrant visas for adopted children using normal processing procedures. Contact the Embassy at MoscowConsularR@state.gov to schedule an appointment. Please also stay in close touch with your adoption service provider.

If you have a court appointment to finalize your child’s adoption in Russia:

Many adoption cases are continuing to move forward in the courts. We have heard of cases in which a court appointment has been postponed. If your court appointment is postponed by the court, please provide this information to us by email at RussiaAdoption@state.gov and MoscowConsularR@state.gov. We will work with the Russian authorities to try to resolve any problems.

If you do not yet have a court date to finalize an adoption in Russia, but are in the process of adopting from Russia:

Please stay in close contact with your adoption service provider, and check the adoption.state.gov website regularly for current information about intercountry adoption from Russia.

The Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues has established a special

e-mail box for inquiries or comments about adoptions from Russia. Prospective adoptive parents and others with concerns about adoptions from Russia may send their questions to RussiaAdoption@state.gov. Prospective adoptive parents may also provide complete contact information for themselves, including full address, phone number, and e-mail information, the name of their adoption service provider (if available) and details about the child they are planning to adopt.

http://adoption.state.gov/news/russia.html


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

DOS: Adoption Notice Liberia

Adoption Notice

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Children’s Issues

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Notice Concerning Adoption Processing In Liberia

April 26, 2010

On January 26, 2009, the Government of Liberia suspended adoptions because of allegations of mismanagement and corruption in the adoption process. The U.S. Department of State cautions American citizens against filing an application to adopt a child from Liberia while the moratorium on adoption remains in effect. The U.S. Embassy remains in frequent contact with adoption officials, but there is no indication when the moratorium might be lifted.

Since the suspension went into effect, the Liberian Government has formed an Ad-hoc Central Adoption Authority to have oversight over adoptions and is working to pass adoption legislation focused on strengthening existing laws and preventing abuses of the system. The U.S. government strongly supports the Liberian Government’s efforts to strengthen its adoption laws and regulations to provide greater transparency and safeguards for prospective adoptive children, their birth parent(s) and prospective adoptive parents.

The Government of Liberia has informed the U.S. Embassy that it will not process any adoption cases during the suspension, including those that were in progress before the suspension was announced, and that it will not permit adopted children depart Liberia. They have also indicated that no new adoption applications should be accepted by adoption service providers, no referrals of children to prospective adoptive parents made, and no adoption petitions filed with the Liberian court while the suspension is in effect. The Liberian Government has made no provisions for the grandfathering of cases under the existing laws. Therefore any case in which a full and final adoption had not been completed prior to January 26, 2009 is effectively on hold.

The U.S. Embassy in Monrovia has been informed by the Government of Liberia that it will issue exit clearances, on a case-by-case basis, to children whose full and final adoption had been completed prior to January 26, 2009 and approved by Liberia’s Ad-hoc Central Adoption Authority. Prospective adoptive parents who believe their case might fall into this category should contact the Consular Section at adoptionsmonrovia@state.gov to discuss next steps in the visa process and any gaps in their adoption file. Additionally, the Government of Liberia is requiring that all adoptive parents appear personally for the exit clearance interview. Processing the visa and obtaining the exit clearance takes about a week of time, but adoptive parents are advised to purchase open-ended return tickets, as there is no guarantee as to how quickly the exit clearance can be obtained.

Prospective adoptive parents and adoption service providers are reminded that a consular officer is required, by law, to complete a For I-604 (determination of orphan status) before issuing a visa in all IR-3 and IR-4 adoption cases. In some cases, this may require only a conversation with the birth parent, but in others it may require a full field investigation, possibly lasting several weeks. Since verifying the parent-child relationships in Liberia is difficult, we also expect that in most cases where the child was relinquished by the birth parent, DNA testing will be recommended in order to establish a blood relationship between the adopted child and claimed birth parent(s).

Please continue to monitor adoption.state.gov for updated information.

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

Additional Update to DOS Adoption Notice on Russia

Adoption Notice: Russia

April 20, 2010

We have received no official notification that adoptions of Russian orphans by Americans have been suspended, but it is clear the recent controversy has slowed down adoptions in some parts of the country. (highlight PEAR's in order to bring attention to the change from yesterday's announcement)

Volcanic ash prevented the U.S. delegation from traveling to Moscow over the April 17^th weekend. The talks in
Moscow between U.S. and Russian officials are now rescheduled for April 29 and 30. The United States plans to
emphasize the importance of this issue, and will discuss our mutual concerns about how to better protect the welfare and rights of children and all parties involved in intercountry adoptions. Many thousands of Russian children have found loving, safe and permanent homes in the United States through intercountry adoption. Families in the United States have adopted more than 50,000 children from Russia.

If you have completed an adoption in Russia and have an immigrant visa appointment at the U.S. Embassy in
Moscow:

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow is continuing to schedule and issue immigrant visas for adopted children using normal
processing procedures. Contact the Embassy at MoscowConsularR@state.gov to schedule an appointment. Please also stay in close touch with your adoption service provider.

If you have a court appointment to finalize your child’s adoption in Russia:

Many adoption cases are continuing to move forward in the courts. We have heard of cases in which a court
appointment has been postponed. If your court appointment is postponed by the court, please provide this information to us by email at RussiaAdoption@state.gov and MoscowConsularR@state.gov. We will work with the Russian
authorities to try to resolve any problems.

If you do not yet have a court date to finalize an adoption in Russia, but are in the process of adopting from
Russia:

Please stay in close contact with your adoption service provider, and check the adoption.state.gov website regularly for current information about intercountry adoption from Russia.

The Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues has established a special e-mail box for inquiries or comments about adoptions from Russia. Prospective adoptive parents and others with concerns about adoptions from Russia may send their questions to RussiaAdoption@state.gov. Prospective adoptive parents may also provide complete
contact information for themselves, including full address, phone number, and e-mail information, the name of their adoption service provider (if available) and details about the child they are planning to adopt.

http://www.adoption.state.gov/news/russia.html

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

UPDATE to DOS Adoption Notice on Russia

The Department of State issued the following update today to the April 16 Adoption Notice:
Russia

Adoption Notice

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Children’s Issues

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April 19, 2010

The Department of State has received no official notification that adoptions from Russia to the United States have been suspended. However, it appears that the adoption process has slowed down. Our Embassy in Moscow and other Department of State officials are talking with Russian officials to clarify this issue. We look forward to further discussions with the Russians to clear up the status of pending adoptions, and to establish the basis for a continuation of the adoption process in a way that assures the welfare of Russian children adopted in the United States.

Volcanic ash prevented the U.S. delegation from traveling to Moscow over the April 17^th weekend.. The delegation now plans to travel to Moscow during the week of April 25. They plan to emphasize the importance of this issue to the United States, and will discuss our mutual concerns about how to better protect the welfare and rights of children and all parties involved in intercountry adoptions.

Many thousands of Russian children have found loving, safe and permanent homes in the United States through intercountry adoption. Families in the United States have adopted more than 50,000 children from Russia.

If you have completed an adoption in Russia and have an immigrant visa appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow:

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow is continuing to schedule and issue immigrant visas for adopted children using normal processing procedures. Contact the Embassy at MoscowConsularR@state.gov to schedule an appointment. Please also stay in close touch with your adoption service provider.

If you have a court appointment to finalize your child’s adoption in Russia:

Many adoption cases are continuing to move forward in the courts. We have heard of cases in which a court appointment has been postponed. If your court appointment is postponed by the court, please provide this information to us by email at RussiaAdoption@state.gov and MoscowConsularR@state.gov. We will work with the Russian authorities to try to resolve any problems.

If you do not yet have a court date to finalize an adoption in Russia, but are in the process of adopting from Russia:

Please stay in close contact with your adoption service provider, and check the adoption.state.gov website regularly for current information about intercountry adoption from Russia.

The Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues has established a special e-mail box for inquiries or comments about adoptions from Russia. Prospective adoptive parents and others with concerns about adoptions from Russia may send their questions to RussiaAdoption@state.gov.

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

Media: Liberia concerned welfare fo adopted children

PEAR will be publishing stories this week which we believe highlight the need for better and more consistent pre adoption education, and counseling; consistent and meaningful homestudy reports; and, better access to post adoption services and oversight for internationally adopted children.

Fairview case draws scrutiny from Liberian ambassador ~ Liberian ambassador says abuse of adopted children has his country concerned

BY ANN KELLEY

FAIRVIEW — The Liberian ambassador to the United States says he’s monitoring the controversial child welfare case involving four Fairview children adopted from his country. Ambassador Milton Nathaniel Barnes said the girls’ attorney, Melvin Johnson, of Atlanta brought the case to his attention last month.

"We are watching this case and others that involve Liberian children with great concern,” Barnes said. "In many cases these children are adopted by well-meaning people, but things somehow go terribly wrong.”

The four sisters, ages 5 to 16, were removed last week from their parents’ custody. Ardee Tyler, 51, and his wife, Penny Tyler, 45, of Fairview were convicted in February of abusing a fifth adopted daughter. The couple received 10-year suspended sentences.

Separate from the criminal case is a controversial child welfare case that has dragged on for two years. The case now includes state prosecutors, and a new judge is reviewing a previous judge’s decision to close the case and allow the four girls to remain with their adopted parents.

This is thought to be the first time in state history that judicial review is being used in a child welfare case, authorities said.

Fixing a problem

The Liberian government in September placed a one-year moratorium on international adoptions to allow officials there time to make changes to the adoption system, Barnes said.

He said his home country, having been damaged by civil war, was like any country coming out of a chaotic disaster. Government officials didn’t have the resources to monitor adoptions closely.

"We started to see problems,” Barnes said.

A Liberian national in Philadelphia was caught adopting children and moved them to the United States for sex trafficking, he said. More recent is a California case in which a Liberian-born child is alleged to have been beaten to death by her adopted parents, he said.

Even worse, many African parents putting their children in orphanages didn’t understand the Western concept of adoption. Many of them thought they would have contact with their children, as if they were sending them to a relative’s home to be cared for, Barnes said.

Attorney seeks investigation

Attorney Melvin Johnson said he wants the Tylers and the people who helped them adopt investigated for potential fraud.

The children were adopted by the West African Children Support Network. The U.S. State Department in January reported the adoption agency, founded by Liberian-born Maria Luyken of Eden Prairie, Minn., was ordered by the Liberian government to suspend operations pending an investigation into whether it was properly caring for children.

A 2005 home study that helped Ardee and Penny Tyler adopt the five African sisters painted a picture of a strong, stable family excited about having more children.

What it didn’t uncover were allegations that a son had been abused, rifts with family members over their children and a possible misrepresentation of their financial ability to support the girls.

The Oklahoman obtained a copy of the home study, which was completed by Oklahoma Home Study of Edmond before the Tylers adopted the girls in 2005.

Calls to Chris Foell, executive director of Oklahoma Home Study, and Erlene Logan, the adoption worker who completed the study, were not returned.

Logan’s report says Ardee Tyler’s 28-year-old son, Jeremy Tyler, was interviewed and supportive of his parents adopting.

Jeremy Tyler said he was beaten and abused by Penny Tyler as a child and would have recommended against the adoption if asked. No one ever called him, he said.

The report claims Penny Tyler has a good relationship with her siblings, except her sister, Robyn Raveling. It never says why.

Raveling said she sent her children to live with the Tylers while she was going through a divorce. A month later, the Tylers refused to return the children, and a custody battle ensued, she said.

Raveling said she got her children back and hasn’t spoken with the Tylers since. The home study indicates the Tylers have an annual income of $83,000, a figure that contradicts a presentence investigation that reveals they bring home about $60,000 less.

In an April 10 interview with the Tylers, the couple denied claims that Jeremy Tyler was an abused child and defended the home study. Penny Tyler said it’s possible the agency has a letter from her stepson to prove they contacted him.

"We don’t have any way of knowing for sure if she interviewed all the people she said she did, but why would she lie?” Penny Tyler said.

"We never put ourselves out there to be the perfect family, but whose family is?”

Adoptive parents urged to be prepared

Along with a thorough home study, it’s important that any adult considering an international adoption be well educated about the problems that can transpire, said Dr. Dana Earnest Johnson, a member of the University of Minnesota’s adoption medicine program and clinic. One of Johnson’s areas of study is the effects of institutionalizatio n on the growth and development of internationally adopted children.

Johnson has addressed the U.S. Congress on international adoption issues. He also has firsthand knowledge — he and his wife adopted a son from India.

He said not all, but many children coming to the United States arrive with a complex set of problems that adoptive parents aren’t skilled to deal with. Some parents are so eager to adopt that they’re afraid to ask about the child’s history, Johnson said.

He said many children, especially those coming from countries with political unrest, are abused, neglected, starved or raped and have witnessed atrocities happening to other people.

As a result, the children might not grow physically as they should, and have delays in motor skill development and language skills, Johnson said.

In some instances, children so hurt in their former lives develop Reactive Attachment Disorder, making them unable to trust adults. Those children can work against the very adults who are trying to help them, Johnson said.

"The most important advice I can give any adoptive parent is be prepared,” Johnson said. "If you see problems, get help immediately.”

Read more: http://newsok. com/fairview- case-draws- scrutiny- from-liberian- ambassador/ article/3454788# ixzz0lY9eKTGA








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