Child: U.S. Adoption Agency Bought Me
Videotapes showing poor orphans from third world countries melt the hearts of prospective parents every day in this country.
Three children, sisters from Ethiopia are shown in a video - ages, you are told, 7, 4 and 6. Their mother is dead, their father dying of AIDS. A life of prostitution is all but assured - if not adopted - saved - by a loving American family.
It was just such a pitch that spoke to Katie and Calvin Bradshaw, reports CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian. They adopted all three girls through a U.S. agency, Christian World Adoption.
"Aside from the gender of the children, everything else proved to be a complete lie," said Katie.
In truth, the three sisters, Journee, Maree and Meya - were actually much older: 13, 6 and 11.
While their mother was dead, their father was healthy and very much alive. He was living, by local standards, a middle-class life - an extended family able to take care of the girls as middle sister Meya showed us first hand.
"My godmothers, my aunt, those are my mom's friends, my uncles, my dad, my dad's friends, that's my brother," she said.
In the last year adoptions from Ethiopia to the U.S. have skyrocketed - growing faster than any other country in the world. They have risen from 731 in 2006 to more than 2,200 last year. That's nearly six children per day.
Now a CBS News investigation has discovered that growth has turned Ethiopia into fertile ground for child trafficking - a country in which some American agencies and their staff engage in highly questionable conduct.
More Information for Potential Adoptive Parents:
Joint Council on International Child Services
U.S. State Department List of Accredited Agencies
Parents for Ethical Adoption Reform
Ethica: an Impartial Voice for Ethical Adoption Practices
Adoptive families allege that many children brought to the U.S. are not even orphans, that prospective parents are misled about a child's health and background, that local families are recruited - and sometimes even paid - to give up their kids.
Which the Bradshaw sisters say is exactly what happened to them.
"Your dad was paid," Keteyian asked Meya.
"Yes," she said.
"From Christian World Adoption," Keteyian asked.
"Yeah," she replied.
"For you to be adopted?"
"Yup."
"You were sold?"
"Yeah," she said.
Christian World Adoption is one of 70 agencies licensed to operate in Ethiopia. Beyond the alleged payment to their father, the Bradshaw sisters say they were told by local employees of Christian World they were only coming to America for an education; that they could return home when school was out. Not true. In fact it's virtually impossible to reverse an adoption in Ethiopia.
"I thought I was going to be kind of like an exchange student," Journee said. "Honestly, I never knew that I'm going to be here forever."
"We have watched our kids grieve and cry and scream and melt down from the bottom of their souls over the loss of their country and their family," Katie Bradshaw said.
A 2007 video shows Christian World representatives entering an Ethopian village and appearing to recruit children from poor villagers - an unethical practice against Ethopian law.
"If you want your child to be adopted by a family in America you may stay," said Michelle Gardner. She spoke those words on a tape produced by Christian World for American parents seeking to adopt in Ethiopia. And now says she deeply regrets it.
"I was aware of a number of times when things were problematic," she said. "And several families where children came over and the children didn't understand that the adoption was permanent."
Christian World was founded back in 1991 by Bob and Tomilee Harding. In 2008, records show, the non-profit agency took in nearly $6 million dollars - charging a fee of about $15,000 per child.
Read the Complaint
Citing ongoing litigation, the Hardings declined to speak with CBS News at their offices in Charleston, South Carolina.
One such case, filed last month, includes charges of "wrongful adoption," "fraud" and "intentional misrepresentation."
"How do you respond to charges that CWA knowingly deceived or misled adoptive parents through the adoption process in Ethopia?" Keteyian asked.
"Those allegations are completely unfounded," said Curtis Bostic, attorney for CWA. He told CBS News he was prohibited by law from discussing specific adoption cases.
"I'm talking to parents who are really upset," Keteyian said. "Who are devastated with their dealings with CWA."
"Sometimes, people are upset when they just simply misunderstand things," Bostic said. "I believe that's exactly what you're hearing. There have been thousands and thousands of adoptions conducted by CWA all over the world. Is there going to be a handful of folks who misunderstand, who - or who aren't happy with their adoption? There's going to be, and we regret that."
The Bradshaw family lives with its own set of regrets. Parents who trusted and believed they were doing the right thing. The three young girls are learning to adopt a life far from the country they still call home.
Copyright 2010 CBS. All rights reserved. Three children, sisters from Ethiopia are shown in a video - ages, you are told, 7, 4 and 6. Their mother is dead, their father dying of AIDS. A life of prostitution is all but assured - if not adopted - saved - by a loving American family.
It was just such a pitch that spoke to Katie and Calvin Bradshaw, reports CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian. They adopted all three girls through a U.S. agency, Christian World Adoption.
"Aside from the gender of the children, everything else proved to be a complete lie," said Katie.
In truth, the three sisters, Journee, Maree and Meya - were actually much older: 13, 6 and 11.
While their mother was dead, their father was healthy and very much alive. He was living, by local standards, a middle-class life - an extended family able to take care of the girls as middle sister Meya showed us first hand.
"My godmothers, my aunt, those are my mom's friends, my uncles, my dad, my dad's friends, that's my brother," she said.
In the last year adoptions from Ethiopia to the U.S. have skyrocketed - growing faster than any other country in the world. They have risen from 731 in 2006 to more than 2,200 last year. That's nearly six children per day.
Now a CBS News investigation has discovered that growth has turned Ethiopia into fertile ground for child trafficking - a country in which some American agencies and their staff engage in highly questionable conduct.
More Information for Potential Adoptive Parents:
Joint Council on International Child Services
U.S. State Department List of Accredited Agencies
Parents for Ethical Adoption Reform
Ethica: an Impartial Voice for Ethical Adoption Practices
Adoptive families allege that many children brought to the U.S. are not even orphans, that prospective parents are misled about a child's health and background, that local families are recruited - and sometimes even paid - to give up their kids.
Which the Bradshaw sisters say is exactly what happened to them.
"Your dad was paid," Keteyian asked Meya.
"Yes," she said.
"From Christian World Adoption," Keteyian asked.
"Yeah," she replied.
"For you to be adopted?"
"Yup."
"You were sold?"
"Yeah," she said.
Christian World Adoption is one of 70 agencies licensed to operate in Ethiopia. Beyond the alleged payment to their father, the Bradshaw sisters say they were told by local employees of Christian World they were only coming to America for an education; that they could return home when school was out. Not true. In fact it's virtually impossible to reverse an adoption in Ethiopia.
"I thought I was going to be kind of like an exchange student," Journee said. "Honestly, I never knew that I'm going to be here forever."
"We have watched our kids grieve and cry and scream and melt down from the bottom of their souls over the loss of their country and their family," Katie Bradshaw said.
A 2007 video shows Christian World representatives entering an Ethopian village and appearing to recruit children from poor villagers - an unethical practice against Ethopian law.
"If you want your child to be adopted by a family in America you may stay," said Michelle Gardner. She spoke those words on a tape produced by Christian World for American parents seeking to adopt in Ethiopia. And now says she deeply regrets it.
"I was aware of a number of times when things were problematic," she said. "And several families where children came over and the children didn't understand that the adoption was permanent."
Christian World was founded back in 1991 by Bob and Tomilee Harding. In 2008, records show, the non-profit agency took in nearly $6 million dollars - charging a fee of about $15,000 per child.
Read the Complaint
Citing ongoing litigation, the Hardings declined to speak with CBS News at their offices in Charleston, South Carolina.
One such case, filed last month, includes charges of "wrongful adoption," "fraud" and "intentional misrepresentation."
"How do you respond to charges that CWA knowingly deceived or misled adoptive parents through the adoption process in Ethopia?" Keteyian asked.
"Those allegations are completely unfounded," said Curtis Bostic, attorney for CWA. He told CBS News he was prohibited by law from discussing specific adoption cases.
"I'm talking to parents who are really upset," Keteyian said. "Who are devastated with their dealings with CWA."
"Sometimes, people are upset when they just simply misunderstand things," Bostic said. "I believe that's exactly what you're hearing. There have been thousands and thousands of adoptions conducted by CWA all over the world. Is there going to be a handful of folks who misunderstand, who - or who aren't happy with their adoption? There's going to be, and we regret that."
The Bradshaw family lives with its own set of regrets. Parents who trusted and believed they were doing the right thing. The three young girls are learning to adopt a life far from the country they still call home.
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- Armen Keteyian
People please sponsor families and help build schools and family planning clinics. Here in America we have opportunities that many in Africa don't have. You can give a few dollars every month to sponsor entire families so they don't feel pressured to allow others to take away their children. Pray for them. Thank you.
CWA does not expect that every individual hearing the accusations will find no fault with CWA. All CWA would ask is for an opportunity to be heard and for open minds to consider all the facts before reaching a conclusion.
and yesterday?s statement with further information:
Our agency has been in the news recently, and has had to endure regrettable and false allegations of unethical adoption practices in Ethiopia. Because of this, CWA has undertaken a time-consuming and costly investigation of our Ethiopian adoption program. We sent our very capable Christian attorney to Ethiopia to get accurate information about these allegations. The allegations were aired last September by Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) broadcast entitled "Fly Away Children."
In order to set the record straight, CWA has posted an 8-part videotaped response on YouTube. An ABC reporter interviewed our attorney, Curtis Bostic, on January 22. We have posted the interview in it's entirety for our families to watch, listen, and make their own conclusions.
You may read our agency's written statement here:
http://www.cwa.org/ethiopia-statement.htm
And you may view the video series here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ChristianWorldAdopt
Because we are a Christian agency, it comes as no surprise that attacks, slander, and false reports come against us and the work we do. Jesus endured the same. We understand that such hostilities are not led by people, but demonic forces of evil. Our work is confirmed because it is opposed.
CWA's mission has always been to help place orphans into permanent, loving families. By God's grace and help, we intend to continue doing just that.
Christian World Adoption
While paying a relinquishing caregiver for an adoptive child would be deplorable in any context, as it relates to Ethiopia the concept even violates common sense. This desperate country has an estimated 6,000,000 orphans of whom only .03% per year will be adopted into the United States. This means that for every child chosen for adoption there is a pool of approximately 3,000 legitimate candidates from whom to choose. There is never a justification for paying a parent to surrender a child, but in Ethiopia there is also no motive to do so. The sad fact is there is no lack of children in Ethiopia needing homes, and no motive to ?buy? them. This is particularly true for children who are not infants or those in sibling groups, like the ones in the CBS interview. It is hard to imagine any adoption agency being willing to pay for a child and risk criminal conviction when Ethiopia has an enormous number who are legitimately available.
CBS chose to withhold all of this information from its viewers in exchange for the more fantastic notion that these children were simply ?bought? from their father and offered to an American family for adoption. The CBS position is absurd and is a sad and revealing commentary on the reliability of CBS reporting.
CWA does not misrepresent the ages of adoptive children. As was explained to CBS, adoption agencies do not make age determinations. The age of a child is determined by the Ethiopian government during the governmental process of investigating the orphan status of the child. The age determined by the government is then documented by the government and made a part of the child?s adoptive record to be provided to adoption agencies. Adoption agencies are not given the liberty to change the determination made by the government.
CBS was also made aware of the fact that determining the accurate age of children adopted from Ethiopia presents unusual challenges. Many of these children have no birth record from which ages may be calculated; for others, the only record upon which the Ethiopian government has to relay is the oral testimony of a relinquishing caregiver. CWA is deliberate in its adoption materials to repeatedly advise parents to be cautious concerning the government?s represented ages of prospective children. CBS was provided copies of these documents and an article CWA requires adoptive parents to review and sign authored by a prominent orphan doctor discussing the difficulties in assigning an accurate age to children from Ethiopia. Finally, in order to assist parents in making their own determinations as to age, CWA provides pictures and videos of prospective children so parents are given the same graphic ?evidence? of a child?s age as is presented to CWA.
When CWA suspects a wide age variation in the reported versus actual age of a child, CWA caseworkers communicate an additional warning to parents. This communication becomes part of the adoptive record. Additionally, because of the nature of the Ethiopian adoption process, further information regarding a child?s age may be forthcoming immediately prior to a child?s visa being issued; when this occurs, this information is also documented in the adoptive record. CBS is aware that the Bradshaws chose not to cooperate in allowing CWA to give CBS documents from the adoptive record regarding the children?s ages.
The mission of CWA is to see orphan children and capable families come together to form permanent, mutually-rewarding family bonds. CWA is not a ?business.? Revenue generated from adoptions goes to support the services as well as ongoing efforts to place children in families and to feed, clothe, house, and educate those who can never be placed.
CWA STATEMENT CONCERNING CBS FEBRUARY 15 BROADCAST
It was with great disappointment that CWA was made aware of the various criticisms expressed by the Bradshaws to CBS news. In an effort to address each of these allegations, CWA agreed to an in-depth interview with CBS reporter Armen Keteyian. During the course of this interview, lasting well over an hour, CBS was provided facts and documents which discredit the allegations made against CWA. Instead of allowing its viewers to consider the position of both parties, CBS chose to exclude every piece of information provided by CWA during its lengthy interview.
Sadly, the appearance is that CBS is more interested in the sensational than the factual.
The truth is that CWA does not and has never given compensation of any kind to influence a parent to surrender a child for adoption. CBS was made aware that CWA workers had no contact with the parent in this video who allegedly ?sold? his daughters. And, by virtue of the process in Ethiopia, CWA seldom has any contact whatsoever with relinquishing parents. An accurate understanding of the adoption process (as was provided CBS) bears this out:
In Ethiopia, a relinquishing caregiver who seeks to have a child declared an ?orphan? and available for adoption initiates the process by appearing before a local court with three witnesses. These four individuals must swear to the court that the child either has no parents or that the child?s surviving parent does not have the financial ability to care for the child. Should the local court make a finding of need based on the testimony of these four individuals, an investigation is triggered by Ethiopia?s social services department called ?Ministry of Women?s Affairs? (MOWA). MOWA is then responsible to conduct its independent investigation as to the need of the child and render its findings, together with those of the local court, to a higher court for yet a third review into the need of the child.
This entire process is undertaken by the Ethiopian government, without any involvement by international adoption agencies. Most often, the entire process is completed before international adoption agencies like CWA are even made aware of the child. Finally, before a child can immigrate to the United States, the entire adoption, including the ?orphan? status of each child is investigated by the United States government through the U.S. Consular?s office prior to a child?s visa being issued.
Gotta love CWA's attorney what an asswipe, "The clients misunderstood" What the hell is there to misunderstand when a child tells you she was bought? That she has a father, a family, a culture, relatives, etc., When are these children/inventory of adoptions going to have their rights?
When someone adopts you must understand a family is being destroyed in order to create another.
And why weren't these parents meeting the children before they shelled out the money and completed the process.
The whole American scheme of adoption is out of whack. Adoption should be about providing appropriate loving homes to orphaned children, not about rich and upper-middle class Americans feeling like saviors by dragging kids out of their own cultures. If American couples really care about Ethiopian children, that $15,000 would by books for a whole school, or could build a whole school in some villages, or it could provide for a circuit mobile health clinic to provide care to hundreds of towns for a whole month.
There are ways to save the world without having to "own" the children.
Adoption is NOT about providing children for adults to raise. It's about providing adults to raise children who have no parents. The idea that adoption is the answer to childlessness is the culprit in the kind of crime discussed in the article. The well-being of the child should be first and foremost in deciding to adopt. If American families would stop searching the world for children to "complete" them, this kind of crime would stop.
We had the amazing opportunity to go to Ethiopia for three weeks. We visited the very orphanage our child was from, talked with the social worker & nurse,and saw the pictures & file of our child that they had. Every person we talked to gave us the exact same story about our child. No discrepancies. There were about 25 other children at the orphanage the day we visited. We also went with CWA to the US embassy twice for medical exams and visa applications. I have walked the streets of Ethiopia and have seen first hand the poverty there. Nothing raise questions for us.
Am I naive enough to think or believe that exploitation of children, women and families doesn't happen in international adoption or that "it would never happen to us"? No, but I am also not naive enough to believe one family's story as if they are speaking for all the rest of us who have adopted from CWA and Ethiopia. The greatest concern we had in adopting was that our child would truly be an orphan and in need of a family. Knowing full well that there was an inherent risk involved.
I don't believe any one of us can speak intelligently about all the workings of Ethiopia, their country and their people. To call them all liars is offensive. Are there abuses & corrupt officials? Yes, but tell me what is the difference here in this country?
I agree with the comment about the Bradshaws and if they are so upset by this, what are they doing to return these girls to their father? If they are that disturbed by this they would be trying to bring them back to their father. They called the girls their children and it is obvious that they have no intentions of reuniting them with their father.
I don't want to question these young girls because ultimately the children are the ones who lose in any adoption abuses, but there are a number of questions I have. How long have the girls been in the US? How old were they when they were "sold"? The report on this was very vague. All the one girl said was "Yes" to very pointed questions. There was no explanations or anything. To be adopted from Ethiopia it either has to be proven a child is a true orphan with no parent living or the parent or family member has to appear in court and relinquish rights. The report makes it sound like you get on a plane fly over to Ethiopia and a week later you come home with a custom picked child.
Further, if it were really true about buying children, it would take a lot more money. Yes, international adoption is expensive....but its costs are comparable to domestic adoption. There are so many people from the parent(s) to government officials who would have to be bribed to get an adoption and all the paperwork needed to get through that the costs associated with CWA's adoption are just not enough. In addition the thought of using that money to give to them instead as if that is going to solve all the problems is not true. We've tried that in our own country. It's called welfare...and the result is people waiting for handouts rather than gaining job & life skills they can use to turn a corner and care for themselves. (just to note, that I do NOT believe that international adoption is the answer either, but it is one piece of the large picture)
We have a number of people we have become acquainted with who have also gone through CWA to adopt and none of them have said they had problems or questions about the integrity of CWA. For what it is worth, we were there and saw first hand CWA in Ethiopia. While we are excited about what our child has "gained" in becoming part of our family, we are also grieved by what our child and our child's birth family have lost in being adopted.
Adoption costs mega $$$$ and "helps" one child--causing her or him to lose his/her identity, his/her culture, his/her language, his/her community, his/her connection to the generations that have come before, and finally, his/her family. The same amount of money spent for child welfare--as in family or community sponsorship--would allow many families to remain together and many, many children and others to benefit.
International adoption is about white Westerners feeling good about themselves and helping themselves to the children of the world's poor. It is NOT primarily about child welfare or child rehabilitation. Seriously, infinitely more good could be done for many more children and families with the same amounts of money.
International adoption too often looks like a luxury ocean liner pulling alongside a small leaky boat and offering to "help" by taking the children from the boat, leaving the adults and other children in the boat to flounder and perish without help. One could imagine a more just "help" to be offering to help repair the boat and making sure that those in it do not ever again go without the basics of life so that they do not have to be forced into a Sophie's Choice about giving up their children to save them.
have you ever talked to somebody who has adopted? have you asked them why they adopted? i find the idea that adoption is about white westerners feeling good about themselves offensive. that certainly isn't why we adopted.
and i have to ask, if "infinitely more good" could be done with the money, that sounds like a good investment. how much have you contributed to do infinitely more good? the reality is there is no simple solution. international adoption won't solve any nations poverty or orphan dilemma, but it can be one aspect of helping.