Babygate: trafficking children to cover demand

Malinda, an adoptive mother of two Chinese girls,  writes in her blog Adoption Talk about the lengths some corrupt individuals are going to ensure the steady flow of adoptable babies to people able to pay the pricey adoption fees. In her post Adoption Corruption: Trafficking in the news she highlights recent cases in Cameroon, where children are kidnapped in order to be placed for adoption; Korea, where young parents put their baby on sale on the Internet; Guatemala, where the army abducted and sold more than 333 children for adoption and where recently babies and children were put up for adoption without parental consent; and Ethiopia, where unregulated agencies are convincing families to give their children up for adoption, promising them the children will later return to them or that the agency will help support the remainder of the family. Similar cases have been seen in numerous other countries.

Mothers coming together to secure their human rights

Some adoptive mothers do what they can to ensure one woman's right to motherhood doesn't go against the reproductive rights of another mother.

One such option is open adoptions, a sometimes controversial decision where the child remains in contact with the birth mother and is aware that due to other circumstances, she wasn't able to take care of them.

One woman in the United States, Leigh, writes a blog called Open Adoption Round Table about the challenges of giving her child up for adoption in a semi-open arrangement.

Another blogger and writer Dawn Friedman tells a story in her blog from the opposite perspective of adopting her daughter, Madison, while keeping an open line of communication with the birth mother. Friedman is also an activist for adoption reform in the United States. She believes pregnancy counseling in unplanned pregnancies too easily pushes women towards giving up their babies for adoption without informing them adequately of how difficult it is. Friedman also recommends that the process of adoption counseling should include a post-labor session where women are accompanied through the decision making process and advised of their rights and possibilities after giving birth, in case they are having second thoughts or have additional concerns.

Birth mothers

Lorraine Dusky in the United States, who runs the Birth Mother, First Mother Forum had medical history that made her think that birth control pills she took during pregnancy could have affected the child she placed in adoption, but when she tried to contact the adoptive family through the agency to let them know, they refused to send over the information.

She relinquished her child with no particular coercion, but the laws for “closed records” in adoptions may have cost her daughter's life.

But what about natural mothers in developing countries? Where are their voices? Some of them have written letters to the children they've placed for adoption, as Pam Conell of families.com tells us in her book review of I Wish for You a Beautiful Life: Letters from the Korean birthmothers of Ae Ran Won.

Others are telling their stories through documentaries, or after being reunited with their natural children. And there are some others who tell of women who don't regret giving their children up for adoption, considering it was the best alternative. However some women, like  Malinda in the USA,  adoptive parent of Chinese Girls who writes AdoptionTalk believes that these last representations have to be taken with a grain of salt:

These representations of foreign birth mothers allow us to divorce ourselves from the experience of these birth mothers, to minimize their pain, and to justify how much better off our children are with us than with them.

The Voices of the Adopted:

Mary Grace in China by endbradley

The voices of the adoptees are as varied as any of the other parts of the adoption triad. But in general they share some points of view in common: The desire to know about their origins and the reason for their adoption and the hope that their birth mothers made an informed decision to part with them.  They also believe in the right to know their history if they choose, to know about their adoptee status from early on and have it acknowledged as part of their identity.

For example Susan from ReadingWritingLiving, an adult adoptee born in the 1960's, identified with TV drama Mad Men, particularly in their portrayal of adoptions in that time period, where women hid their shameful unwanted pregnancies until giving birth and how adopted children where seen as discards. She sums it up in her post Mad Men: A Window into my Own Past

Yes, it was painful to hear this but also WILDLY refreshing to have someone just come out and SAY it.

In the I am adopted [es]blog in Spanish, David Azcona writes about his difficult childhood, adoption at the age of 6 and the instability and inability to bond with people [es] he's felt since. It is also a place for other adoptees to post their adoption stories, and to share their experiences. In the comment threads of his about page, stories about apropriated babies [es] with no knowledge of their birth parents, twins separated at birth[es] by nurses who told parents one of the babies had died[es] and requests from birth mothers trying to contact their children as well as the other way around.

An adoptee answers a question asked on a website regarding love between adoptees and adoptive parents:

I was adopted as a baby by the two most loving, caring and supportive parents a child and young adult could ever wish for. I also have a younger adopted brother.

I don't think my biological parents could have loved me more than my adoptive ones.

Other adoptees with similar experiences chime in, some with relationships with both natural parents and adoptive parents and others who have only known their adoptive families. In this particular thread, the experiences are overwhelmingly positive towards adoption.

Some adoptees advocate against adoption. Lost Letters, an adoptee herself who writes in the Anti-Adoption livejournal community believes that instead of using so much money to aid in adoption processes and fees, it should be spent in improving the conditions of the birth parents so they can take care of their family. She adds:

I understand that my actual position on adoption is going to piss people off because people want to believe that adoption is a win/win/win situation for everyone, because people think that middle class white women deserve children no matter what, because people think that our western society is so wonderful that all children should be bought up here.

AmyAdoptee who posts in the Adult Adoptees Advocating for Change forum writes:

The adoption industry intentionally pits us against each other.  We are letting them do it.  In fact, the adoption industry gets a wonderful kick out of this.  Here is an article that supports generally our point of view but they ask that we refrain from attacking adoptive parents.  There is nothing wrong with a healthy discourse.

PhilM, in the same forum thread discussing how adoptive parents perceive them, clarifies:

I’m angry at a society that ignores the problems of adoption, and the harm it causes. I’m angry that when I try to talk about these things, I am marginalized and dismissed with comments along the lines of “well, everyone experiences it differently” and “most adoptees I know love their adoptive parents” and others. I am angry that, because I speak out about adoption, people question my love for my adoptive family. And, I admit, I get angry when individuals parrot these messages.

I don’t need a lecture for how to behave in dialogue. I need people willing to engage in it.

The way forward

As with any delicate issue, it touches a sensitive chord for all those involved: adoptive mothers, birth mothers and adopted children. However, it seems they all meet and agree on one important point: Transparency in the adoption process is vital to safeguard the human rights for the mothers and the children, and discussing adoption openly encourages transparency.

EDITED TO ADD:

We have removed a reference to a blogger who didn't wish to be quoted or mentioned in this post. To her, our apologies, it was in no way our intention to infringe on her or offend, but to provide a multiplicity of visions regarding a sensible subject.

An article titled “Kim Jong Il is just like Chairman Mao!” received a lot of attention in the Qiangguo Forum, a website run by state-owned the People’s Daily. In the article, chibilanting associates Kim Jong Il with Chairman Mao when dealing with military threats. As chibilanting argues,

我们看看毛主席的时代。新中国刚一解放，美国就联合诸国侵略朝鲜。我们保家卫国，支援朝鲜，我们打了过去，美国还是在自己没有胜利的协议书上签了字。印度占我领土，我们打了过去，剑指新德里。苏联占我珍宝岛，我们打了过去，珍宝岛还在我们手中。

朝鲜射出了卫星，美日韩没敢拦截，成了这一世纪的笑柄！紧接着，朝鲜又进行了核试验。联合国出了个什么几号决议，朝鲜的立场更加强硬。自称可以根据联合国决议可以检查朝鲜“江南号”货船的美国，动用了第七舰队，可是最后还是没敢拦截检查！朝鲜人在挨饿！这也许是真的。但是，金正日没输给奥巴马、李明博、麻生！正像中国的毛主席，没有输给世界一样！金正日就像毛主席！

A lot of comments followed, 221.205.34 said,

金正日只不过是毛主席的一名学生罢了!!!

Another netizen, Caiyunchangzai also agreed,

金正正在学习毛泽东精神，正在学习和运用毛泽东思想！

Gaoshanmei said,

不要说，金正日的硬骨头的确像毛主席！我们如果有这样像毛主席的领导，人民会感到多么幸福啊！

222.50.82 also said,

和老毛不是一个级别的，不过骨气倒不错，至少比我们的政府强

Another Chinese blogger, Enjoy Drawing, also compares Kim with Mao in his comment on Kim's portrait,

当年毛主席说：“枪杆子里面出政权！”现在时代进步了，应该说：“核导弹可以保政权！”

The blogger explains why Kim was portrayed in an upright position:

他也很明白，他和萨达姆不一样，萨达姆在中东是孤家寡人，孤军奋战。而朝鲜身后—站着一个比上世纪抗美援朝时更加强大的中国！

The bleak outcome is eliciting strong reactions online from those who support freedom of press and want North Korea to release the two journalists. A Facebook page for Laura and Euna already has more than five thousand members. Today they are asking the public to respect the families privacy at this moment and not to get emotional:

“You will have many emotions racing. Please try to stay clear of anger. Anger is a waste of energy and what North Korea wants of you.We can and will work together and use our minds, to work this through.”

LiberateLaura, a blog authored by Los Angeles entertainment journalist Richard Horgan, describes events happening in North Korea as “worthy of Shakespeare” and questions the decision of the “Hermit Kingdom” to arrest Laura Ling and Euna Lee:

“Unfortunately, into that mad kingdom, just ahead of the chaos, wandered @Current journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee. On Tuesday, March 17th, whether by accident or the trickery of a paid-off Chinese guide, they are alleged to have stepped across an invisible border line at a bridge crossing between China and North Korea. Harsh interrogations and two and a half months of solitary confinement followed, and now, after a brief trial, an absurd sentence of 12 years of hard labor for illegally crossing the border and an unspecified “grave crime.”

The Shakespearean analogy is useful because it allows us, just slightly, to make sense of the unfathomable June 8th Ling-Lee verdict. Kim Jong-il is indeed pushing it to the limit on the diplomatic, nuclear and innocent Americans fronts, all in a bid to reassure the country’s military hard liners that a Kim Jong-un succession will maintain the Amy-first status quo.”

On YouTube, supporters are posting videos calling for the immediate release of Laura and Euna. There are also videos and photos of vigils in South Korea, San Fransisco and elsewhere in the United States.

Here is as public service announcement from Pacific Rim Video and Kelly Hu:

As the public and various organizations promoting free press are coming together to call for Laura and Euna's release, some are now questioning the reactions of United States State Department and former U.S. vice president Al Gore (the founder and chairman of Current TV, which employed Euna and Laura) to the situation.

At Asia Times, Donald Kirk says:

“The North Koreans also get offended every time a top-level American visitor visits the region, and one immediate complication of the trial is that it coincides with a trip to South Korea, China and Japan of a US delegation led by Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg.

Steinberg has not talked publicly about the two women but has made clear in meetings with South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak and other top officials that the US is not willing to negotiate their fate. Could he have had their case in mind when he assured Lee that the US would not offer more aid for North Korea. “

He then proceeds to speculate about Al Gore's involvement in negotiations:

“How about giving them up to a high-level American delegation? Gore comes to mind as the man for the job in view of his control over the network for which the two women were working.

Gore has been strangely silent throughout, all the more reason to think he's waiting to give face to the North Koreans and rescue the two women - a happy ending that may be too much to hope for.”

Gore would be perfect for the mission. His presence would acknowledge North Korea's need for recognition as a member of the global nuclear club but would not constitute official US recognition of anything.

Not everyone is taking Gore's silence so lightly.  John in Condition Yellow takes Gore's lack of involvement less lightly, saying:

I don't expect Mr. Global Warming to just drop what he's doing and go sailing off to north Korea to negotiate the release of two people who work for him. The Nobel Peace Prize winner is far too busy saving the planet. Right? But how long would it take for him to issue a simple statement like, “Hey, Kim Jomg Il! Let my people go, or we will take your carbon credits away.”

But seriously, am I the only one who thinks that even a simple public statement from Mr. Pulitzer, condemning the trial, would at least be the decent thing to do for people who work for him?

Hmmm. Okay, maybe Bill Richardson would be more effective.

But one thing is for certain, as Jo points out in the blog Jo's Department - everyone is wishing for the journalists' safe return:

I hope that they do not endure Pyongyang’s horrific (as described by escapees) prison system and that two journalists could safely return and be reunited to their families soon.

But on the eve of their trial, the blogosphere is abuzz with talk of the journalists' fate. U.S.-based blogger Angry Asian Man has the scoop on where to find more information on Ling and Lee:

Now more than ever, it's extremely important that people are made aware of Euna Lee and Laura Ling's situation. To learn more, visit this Facebook group, which is being regularly updated with information on what you can do to help. Spread the word. Free Euna and Laura!

Brenna Hamilton, who blogs at The Art School Girl of Doom Rides Again, pleads with readers to show support for Ling and Lee:

To show my support as a long-time friend of the family, I ask you to join me in my efforts to secure Laura and Euna’s immediate release. Due to the sensitive international diplomatic ramifications, the families have refrained from speakaing publicly on the situation.

The blogger lists a number of ways to get involved, and adds:

Whatever you do, please be positive in expressing your support. It's doesn't help Laura and Euna’s cause to engage in negative speech or activities, so I will no longer be constructing L'il Kim™ effigies and/or partaking in my infamous Photoshop defacing antics. The singular goal of everyone involved is the immediate and safe return of the two terribly missed journalists.

One of several bloggers on the Korean-American group blog Kimchi Mamas expressed her thoughts as to why the journalists' story has garnered so little attention in the mainstream media:

I know that a lot of us have been watching the news since Euna Lee and Laura Ling were captured, wondering why there haven't been substantial news reports on their plight. Yes, we understood that it's a sensitive situation, that North Korea is unpredictable and that there were surely efforts going on behind the scenes. But as news reports about an American ship captain captured by pirates and then dramatically rescued and then more recently the flurry of news surrounding Roxana Saberi's trial, conviction, appeal and release, the silence around Euna and Laura weighed heavily on my mind.

Several Facebook groups call for support for Laura Ling and Euna Lee

In addition to the blog posts, numerous groups have popped up on Facebook to express solidarity with Ling and Lee, including this one and this one.  A petition has also been initiated.

Despite the outpouring of support, the media surmises that Lee and Ling will likely face harsh punishment.  The New York Times states that the two women could face years in a labor camp; the LA Times suggests that such a sentence could be for up to 15 years.

For more information and updates on Euna Lee and Laura Ling, visit the Committee to Protect Journalists, where, on the recently updated article, one concerned citizen expressed the reason support of the two journalists is so critical:

Of course high risk journalism has high risk consequences. This is all the more reason that we should support Ms.Ling and Ms.Lee, and other journalists who take great personal risks to provide information to the public.

There are brave voices of activists and writers who speak from within the borders of their nations. There are also brave international journalists who bring information to the world. Both should be defended by those of us living in comfort,safety and peace.

Yide, a mainland blogger predicted that China would not show a strong military alliance with North Korea as it did during the Korean war. He listed out three reasons as below:

1）與美國再度軍事對抗不符合大陸的核心利益，大陸早就步入了以經濟建設為中心的軌道，實行的是市場經濟，並實現著與世界經濟之融合。大陸的經濟已與美國的經濟密不可分，兩相依賴；其政治權威之的合法性很大程度上依賴于持續繁榮，而繁榮能否保持則在於能否進入美國市場。

2） 自中韓建交之後，北韓便認為中國背離了傳統的社會主義軌道，兩國在意識形態領域出現著巨大分歧，諸多大陸資深評論家已對北韓持嚴厲批評的態度。如張璉瑰 說：“相對於穩定而言，我更關心的是朝鮮半島的無核化。我們的鄰國進行核子試驗不符合中國的利益。”、張玉山則說：“北韓已成為中國的一大問題。它已成為 世界上一個危險的角色。”

3）中韓兩國高層領導多次互訪，並在國際多邊活動中會晤，增進了相互理解和信任，推動了兩國關係的發展。…相比之下，大陸與北韓2008年經濟貿易額僅20多億美元，不足中韓數字的半個零頭。

金正日政權抱著“會哭多鬧得奶吃”的邏輯行事，不顧大陸之感受，逼奧巴馬讓步，這次大約再也不靈。如今的現實是：朝核問題已經成為中國身邊的火藥桶。

Another Chinese blogger in Shangdong was outraged by North Korea's nuclear test. As she shared in her blog,

正当国际社会最近一在努力争取恢复朝核六方会谈的时候，朝鲜忽然反其道而行之，于5月25 日再次进行地下核试验。到这则新闻时，我真的无语了 。 无赖！ 当前的朝鲜局势看上去是稳定的，但朝鲜拥有了核武装之后，其局势或稳定或动荡，最大的承受方就是中国。当然，朝鲜之所以发展核武器，公开目标是指向美国，日本和韩国，但在客观上，她是中国周边地区的新隐患

On the Qiangguo forum, an official website which is run by China’s state owned The People’s Daily, netizens spelled out their anger over the nuclear test in the comment section:

Fengfeng diandian sen wrote,

朝鲜是唯一依靠别国的经济援助试验核武器的国家。也是是唯一在人员密集区进行核爆炸的国家。中国试验地点在新疆罗布泊无人区，而法国是在国外的一个荒岛，由于造成附近土著人患有原子病，要求赔偿的呼声一直缠绕法国政府。而朝鲜试验地点竟在中朝边境地区….

这种以邻为壑的行为实在令人失望！要知道中国几乎是朝新在世界上仅存的朋友，每年向它无偿提供了大量的石油、粮食。只是靠中国不断的输血朝鲜才能勉强维持至今。但是朝鲜未别国宝贵的援助用于民生，却直接威胁援助国的安全。

Another comment said,

朝鲜核动作，其出发点是要美国的承认，其宿命是核绑架中国

In a previous story we talked about Egyptian telco Orascom helping launch a 3G mobile network in North Korea. Last week several press reports claimed that internet access is now available on this network. There is a lively discussion on at nkeconwatch.com on just what type of content is available on this network and if the access is to the full internet or is it a limited intranet of sorts. I found one comment by a visitor to North Korea that gives us a glimpse of wider internet in the secretive nation.

Also interesting, a trendy local college girl we met in the hotel bar told us that she used to have Internet at home and that in the 2004-2005 timeframe she had been doing Internet dating. She would find a boy online and have him show up at a public place near her apartment block. Spying on him from above, if she didn’t like the way he looked, she would not come out to meet him. The Internet service was suspended in the 2005-2006 time-frame and she was very unhappy about that. She liked the Internet, regardless of the limited and NK-specific services that may have been available.

Nokia's Ovi Store

Nokia launched it's version of app store  called Ovi store. Nokia phone users can now register on this store and buy apps for their mobiles. Tech bloggers are comparing Nokia's attempt to Apple's offering.  Medianama, an Indian tech blog compares the usability of Ovi store to Apple's app store

Nokia has a substantial number of handsets in the market, each has its own form factor and operating system. Consumers won’t exactly be pleased when a particular application isn’t available for theirs. That’s where the iPhone App store has an advantage, since it’s the same OS, and just one type of app. In that context, Nokia’s reach doesn’t quite appear to be the advantage one thought it was.

Malaysia Mobile Tech News talks about another challenge facing Nokia app store initiative

However, it is difficult to achieve what Apple has done with the AppStore, simply because Apple didn’t give software publishers a choice when it started selling the iPhone - either sell through the AppStore or via very-limited-reach third party means (meaning Cydia and the Cydia Store, if you’re familiar with the iPhone). Nokia didn’t start off this way - every software publisher sold through their own website, or another mobile software e-marketplace, and to force “coerce” them to now come under the Ovi Store to the exclusion of every other avenue is an impossible task. After all, what’s the compelling reason for them to move over to the Ovi Store?

See also: Nigeria now Number 9 on Opera Mini Global Chart

Web Services

While access of any sort is a good news in North Korea, netizens in Vietnam are lamenting the loss of a popular online service - Yahoo 360. Taitran in Vietnam describes the feeling in Vietnam after Yahoo announced that it would be closing the service.

Google was busy at its developer event giving away free Android phones and launching a new product called Wave.

Singapore based elearningpost writes how Wave is more than a groupware application that other vendors are selling.

The Wave is not just another application, it's a whole new way of using online information. If you have not seen the demo yet, you should. The Wave takes collaboration to a whole new level. When I was watching the collaboration demo, I felt the entire experience was more like an extension into multiple minds rather than the 'switch-type' collaboration we see in the likes of Sharepoint and Lotus Notes. The engagement just felt more organic, more emergent, more fun.

Also from Singapore,  Rambling Librarian analyzes how Google Wave can be used by librarians to  “transform the way we provide Enquiry and Advisory services. Or how we research, collaborate and publish documents”.

Tech entrepreneur Jonathan Gosier at Appfrica and based in Uganda isconcerned about the usability of the product in low bandwidth situations.

Of course, I have to point out that all this real-time communication stuff only matters to the fraction of people on the planet with good bandwidth. Here in Uganda, I’m so glad when an email actually makes it out of the queue that I don’t even bother to think about ‘rewinding’ conversations and dragging and dropping video! In all seriousness, it’s this reduction in basic utility for all users that worries me. Most Google’ products are by-in-large accessible no matter what kind of computer you’re on (except maybe Google Earth). With Wave they seem to be going down a path that might be a little more exclusive in nature. Not a deal-breaker but a concern none-the-less.

See also: The Startups That Rocked UnConference 2009 (Singapore), Indiblogger State of the Indian blogosphere report for May 2009 (India)

Events

Web designers in Vietnam had their WebcampSaigon 1 event that Fresco2.0 describes as a “a dedicated community by designers for designers”. Fresco2.0 has pictures and presentations from the event.

Neighboring Thailand had its Barcamp at the Sripatum university in Bangkok that also attracted technogists from Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong. The two day events had people talking about web 2.0, design, databases, content management systems, social media and hardware hacks. Some of the participants stayed overnight at the venue, coding and hacking. The presentations are at the Barcamp Bangkok 3 Slideshare page. Here is one from Kulawat about Agile.

Not every thing was tech though. Vietnamese delegate Huy Zing conducted a Salsa dancing session.

31o5 has a collection of great images from the event.

Earlier in May, Tokyo tech enthusiasts held their Barcamp. Participants gathered at Sun's Yoga office and talked about tech startups in Japan, Twitter, Japanese popular culture among other things. One of the popular session was a demo of Solaris Live USB creator by Hiroshi Chonan. Hiroshi is the developer of this utility that lets PC users try the Open Solaris operating system without going through an installation. In the video below a fellow Sun presenter points out why this live usb creator is important for the distribution of Open Solaris.

Another gadget that you see a lot in Tokyo tech events these days is the Poken. It  looks like a USB drive and come in cool designs. You can store your contact information on a Poken and then exchange it with someone else just by placing your Poken next to another one. Here you see attendees at Tokyo barcamp networking with their pokens.

If you are in India, and working on a tech startup, the proto.in event would interest you. Amit Mittal at venturewoods.org writes

What got me excited though is the 3 day bootcamp that Proto.in is putting together. Day one will focus on diving into the business plan you have for the company, and combing through all the fine details. Day two, they teach you and groom you on how best to deliver a pitch (some advertising guys coming in here to help.) Day three, is all about the stage — well known event management company “BuzzWorks” will teach you how to handle yourself in front of the camera, what to do and what not to do when in a public forum.

Sydney tech enthusiasts have also announced a “recession” edition barcamp to be held on the 27th of June. Their new activity this time round is the Think Tank room.

Finally, we have a new idea for a few of the sessions - the Think Tank room. The Think Tank room is a small room with no projector and no tech - just enough room for a small group of people discussing ideas. And what better ideas to discuss than ideas about the future.

See also: Make Tokyo Meeting 03: Where You Can See Future, Magic And Junk In A Place