One of China’s newspapers broke the story that gov’t officials were in Hunan province were forcing parents who had more than one child to give up their extra children. The children were than sold to adoption agencies by these officials.
This isn’t to try to scare people out of international adoption, but I think it is important to consider the possibility that this act of love, can create a demand for babies. This demand for babies creates incentives for immoral people to take terrible actions.
The majority of these kidnapped and trafficked children are adopted/purchased by other families within China that were unable to conceive their own child. So it would seem that only a tiny percentage of the children adopted by Americans or Europeans would be from these families that have been ripped apart.
So, speaking in cold rational terms, how many kidnapped children are we willing to tolerate to rescue other children from orphanages? While this may be an awful question to ask, I think it is an important one to consider before adopting children from overseas.
Beyond the problems of adoption, the gov’t was able to manipulate these poor farmers was because the farmers have no access to legal advice and understand what can happen when you stand up to the brute squads. It is interesting to note that the first farmer’s reaction wasn’t to call the police, or file a petition or look for some legal recourse, but to fight a group of 20 men to the death.
In an interesting side note: while Melissa Chan was making this documentary, thugs hired by the local gov’t tried to intimidate her and the farmers who were speaking out.
For a look at a very different problem caused by the One-Child Policy, read A Fight at the Hospital
It is terrible that there is people that can use children as a “dirty” bussiness. I think its important to be conscious of this. Many parents are so longing for a baby that do not really take care considering the adoption process. I think information is essential and I hope adopting families are aware of this.
thank you
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