From VnnNews.net:
After nearly five years of searching, a village in Quang Binh is finally getting answers about the fate of 13 children.
The Italian International Adoption Commission has pledged to cooperate with Vietnamese authorities in reviewing accusations from an ethnic minority community that a welfare and education center conned them out of 13 of their children.
Without their knowledge, the families claimed, their children were sent abroad for adoption back in 2006.
The accusations were initially dismissed by local authorities.
Last year, a UNICEF-commissioned report brought their allegations to light once again. The report cites a Danish anthropologist working in the area as saying that the children had been adopted by American and Italian couples.
Late last year, Quang Binh Provincial authorities issued an apology to the Ruc parents.
Since then, the Italian Embassy has reviewed specific information regarding five of these children and has confirmed that four are in Italy.
The US Embassy has refused to confirm or deny these allegations, citing privacy rights.
The fate of the other nine remains a mystery, for now.
Last week, Italian officials said that the adoptions were conducted in a legitimate fashion.
“We emphasize that the dossiers on the thirteen children, whose names we got only in December 2010, have been thoroughly investigated, said Daniela Bacchetta, vice president of the Italian Commission for International Adoption. “Even today, they appear to be flawless.
Despite her confidence in the legitimacy of the adoptions, Bacchetta said the case remains open.
“Should the outcome of the investigation carried out by the Vietnamese authorities confirm the assumptions of irregularities, we would agree on the steps to take with the Vietnamese Central Authority, she said.
Access the full article here.
VVAI posted previously about these 13 children here.
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