Note: this post is from October 2007 when my wife and I were trying to adopt a girl from Guatemala. The bill mentioned below did not pass, and all adoptions out of Guatemala ceased.

We were not able to complete our adoption process. As of this month, January 2012, adoptions have not reopened.

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My wife and I have been in the process of adopting a little girl from Guatemala. Most of the orphans in Guatemala live in the streets, and get their food and clothing from city dumps. There are currently about 5000 such children who were slated to be adopted between now and December 31, 2007.

But this week, the US Department of State has encouraged the Guatemalan congress to pass the Ortega Law which would effectively put an end to all adoptions from Guatemala. This bill, as it now stands, has no funding plan, no child care plan for the children currently in the process of getting adopted, and no plan for future children to even enter the process. Private orphanages will no longer be allowed to accept donations for taking care of children, and so many of them will have to shut their doors. This means that within six months, thousands of children waiting to be adopted could instead be turned out onto the streets. This is truly a human rights and child welfare nightmare waiting to happen.

Why is the US and Guatemala doing this? Guatemala seeks to become “Hague Compliant” which is well intended inter-country treaty to stop illegal adoptions. Babies were getting stolen and then put up for adoption. The kidnappers received money from the many adoption fees charged to adoptive parents. So the Hague Treaty is intended to stop this, which is good. But what has happened in Hague Compliant countries is that adoptions have ceased almost completely.

Countries like Honduras, El Salvador, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Bolivia have become Hague compliant. These countries used to allow inter-country adoptions just as much as Guatemala. But in the past decade, all these countries enacted similar laws as the one we now see Guatemala taking steps to pass. The result in Guatemala will be similar to what we now have in these other countries: the streets are overflowing with orphans, the orphanages are underfunded and overcrowded. Over the last 14 years, hundreds of thousands of children who might have benefited from the opportunity of adoption have instead become statistics, adding to the numbers of children who die on the streets, or are forced into slavery or prostitution.

You can read about all of this at the following links:

The Ortega Law

Congress Bio Letter

Please don’t let this happen! Use your finger tips to make a few calls and send a few e-mails. Below is what our adoption agency, All God’s Children International, is asking people to do.

Dear Friends,

Guatemalan President Oscar Berger has announced plans to suspend all intercountry adoption with American families on January 1 2008.  The Joint Council on International Children’s Services strongly opposes such a suspension and asks for your support in their efforts to ensure that all children retain the right to permanency through Intercountry Adoption.

President Berger’s plans also call for the suspension of adoptions currently in-process.  Such a suspension would be extremely detrimental to the children referred to adoptive parents.  If President Berger’s plan is actually implemented, up to 5,000 will unnecessarily remain in foster care or orphanages indefinitely.

This situation represents a pending crisis for the adoptive families who have lovingly chosen to provide permanency, safety and love to a child in need and most importantly a crisis for 5,000 children of Guatemala.

What can you do?  Make six simple phone calls and one email.

1.       Call your U.S. Senator.

·         You can find your Senators’ phone numbers at www.senate.gov

·         Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff

2.   Call your second U.S. Senator.

3.   Call your representative to the U.S. House of Representative.

·         You can find your representative at www.house.gov

·         Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff

4.       Call or fax UNICEF Headquarter

·         Ask to speak with Ann Veneman, Executive Director

·         Their number is 212-326-7000

·         Their fax number is 212-326-7758

5.       Call or fax UNICEF Guatemala

·         Ask to speak with Manuel Manrique

·         Their number is 011-502-2327-6373

·         Their fax number is 011-502-2327.6366

Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls

6.       Send and email supporting Intercountry Adoption to guatemala5000@jcics.org

·         Write briefly or at length

·         Joint Council will use the cumulative email petition in our advocacy for Intercountry Adoption

When should you call?  Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (October 9th, 10th 11th)

·         For maximum affect, we are asking you to make these calls within a 72 hour window!

What should you say or write to member of the U.S. Congress? Speak from your heart and give them the following information.

·         Inform them that you are calling regarding Guatemala 5000

·         Ask them to sign the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) sponsored letter to President Oscar Berger

·         Ask them to sign the Joint Council on International Children’s Services sponsored letter to UNICEF

·         Inform them that the Guatemalan government has announced that all intercountry adoptions with the U.S. will be suspended on January 1 2008.

·         Inform them that President Berger’s announcement also indicated that there will be no ‘grandfathering’ of adoptions already in process.

·         Inform them that if children referred to families are not allowed to be adopted, they will languish in institutions or foster care.

·         Ask that their office get involved and sign the sponsored letters to the President of Guatemala and UNICEF.  These letters ask that all adoptions in-process as of January 1 2008 be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws.

Sample Statement:

Hello,

We are calling/writing on behalf of the Guatemala 5000 Initiative.  We, as your constituents, are asking that the Senator/Congressperson add their signature to two letters.  First, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute sponsored letter to Guatemalan President Oscar Berger.  Second, the Joint Council on International Children’s Services sponsored letter to UNICEF.

As you may be aware, the Guatemalan government has announced that all intercountry adoptions with the U.S. will be suspended on January 1 2008. Their announcement also indicated that there will be no ‘grandfathering’ of adoptions already in process. If children referred to families are not allowed to be adopted, they will languish in institutions or foster care. Your office must get involved and sign the sponsored letters to the President of Guatemala and UNICEF.  These letters ask that all adoptions in-process as of January 1 2008 be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws.

Sincerely,

<your name and contact information>

What should you say or write to UNICEF? Speak from your heart and give them the following information.

·         Inform them that you are calling regarding the Guatemala 5000

·         Ask them to support the right’s of children and lend their considerable influence to ensuring that intercountry adoptions currently in-process be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws.

·         Inform them that the Guatemalan government has announced that all adoptions with the U.S. will be suspended on January 1 2008.

·         Inform them that President Berger’s announcement also indicated that there will be no ‘grandfathering’ of adoptions already in process.

·         Inform them that if children referred to families are not allowed to be adopted, they will languish in institutions or foster care.

·         Ask them again for their support of the Guatemala 5000 Initiative.

Sample Statement

Hello,

We are calling/writing on behalf of the Guatemala 5000 Initiative.  As financial supporters of UNICEF (through our tax dollars), we are asking that UNICEF lends its support and considerable influence to the Guatemala 5000 initiative.

As you may be know, the Guatemalan government has announced that all intercountry adoptions with the U.S. will be suspended on January 1 2008. Their announcement also indicated that there will be no ‘grandfathering’ of adoptions already in process. If children referred to families are not allowed to be adopted, they will languish in institutions or foster care. UNICEF must get involved and help ensure that all intercountry adoptions in-process as of January 1 2008 be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws.

Sincerely,

<your name and contact information>

Can you explain the problem behind the pending crisis?  Here is some additional information…

·         Guatemalan President Oscar Berger has announced plans to effectively stop all adoptions into the United States including those children who have already been referred to adoptive parents

·         Over 5,000 children have been referred

·         The birthparents for these children have already relinquished their parental rights.  As a result, they currently have no family and the Berger suspension will result in these children having no prospect for a permanent, safe and loving family

·         The government of Guatemala currently does not have the finances or facilities to even provide housing for these 5,000 children

·         The Berger plan is a crisis waiting to happen

What else can you do?  In addition to your primary calls to U.S. Congress and UNICEF, you can call the following.

SOSEP (Guatemala)

·         Director Teresa Echeverría de Bastarrechea

Office Phone- 011-502-2383-8400

·         Assistant Director- Edin Palma- Same office phone

Office Phone- 011-502-2383-8400

·         Jaime Tecu

Office Phone – 011-502-2239-0000 ext 2766

Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls

Guatemala Ministry of Foreign Affairs

·         Minister Gerth Rosenthal

Office Phone 011-502-2410-0000, 2410-0010

·         Vice Minister- Marta Altoaguirre

Office Phone  011-502-2410-0020

Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls

PGN (Guatemala)

·         Carlos Victor Hugo Barrios Barahona

Office Phone 011-502-2248-3200 Ext. 207/208

Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls

Procuraduria of Human Rights

·         Dr. Sergio Morales

Office Phone 011-502-2424-1717

Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls

Embassy of Guatemala in the U.S.
2220 R Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20008
Office Phone  1-202-745-4952
Office Fax 1-202-745-1908
Website: www.guatemala-embassy.org/