The Obama administration has increased enforcement efforts against illegal use of children as farm laborers. This article by Erik Eckholm in the New York Times describes the particulars of children and teenagers working in blueberry fields in North Carolina, as well as reform efforts under consideration in Congress: U.S.
Child Soldiers in Somalia
Jeffrey Gettleman reports on the continuing use of child soldiers in the conflict in Somalia, noting that they are also used and recruited by the Transitional Federal Government, which is supported by the United States. See Children Carry Guns for a U.S. Ally, Somalia. The article states that the U.S. and Somalia have not ratified the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits the use of soldiers under 15, but does not point out that the U.S.
Child Brides in Afghanistan
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission has released videotapes showing public beatings of two Afghan girls, ages 13 and 14, who had attempted to flee from illegal forced marriage. See this article by Rod Nordland and Alissa J.
Public Radio: Baby Trafficking in China
American Public Media reported this week about “The Dark Side of China’s Adoption System” on its Marketplace program. The program’s web site includes a slide show and an item by Scott Tong, China correspondent for Marketplace, called “Take My Daughter: Confessions of a Chinese Baby Trafficker.”
Update: Russian Adoptions Continue
According to the New York Times, the Russian science and education minister has confirmed that the government has not suspended international adoptions. See Clifford J.
Controversy in Russia on U.S. Adoptions
Intercountry adoption was already controversial in Russia, but the issues were heightened by the case this week of a 7-year-old adopted Russian child who was sent back to Russia alone by his adoptive mother in Tennessee. Clifford J. Levy reports in the New York Times that the Russian government has proposed suspending all adoptions by Americans; see “Russia Calls for Halt on U.S. Adoptions After Return of Boy.” From the Associated Press, see Nataliya Vasilyeva and Kristin M.
Conditions Deteriorating for Children in Haiti
Beyond the ongoing story of the group from the U.S.
Adoption Policy Conference in New York
The annual Adoption Policy Conference at New York Law School, set for March 5, 2010, will focus on “Permanency for Children,” including panels on the Haitian orphan situation and immigration issues and children’s rights. The conference is presented by The Center for Adoption Policy, The Child Advocacy Program of Harvard Law Schoo
Haiti: Orphans and Trafficking
Lots of media outlets are covering the story of the ten Americans arrested on January 29 for trying to leave Haiti with 33 children they believed or claimed to be orphans. For those following the story, there is useful information in this New York Times story by Ginger Thompson: “Case Stokes Haiti’s Fear for Children, and Itself” and in the NYT news blog (which
More on Haiti
Here’s an interview on NPR with Thomas DiFilipo of the Joint Council on International Children’s Services, called “Where Will all the Haitian Orphans Go?”
UPDATE: Another story, by Deborah Sontag in the New York Times (Jan. 27): “Haiti’s Children Adrift in World of Chaos.”