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Romania: The Untold Story of the Romanian Orphans
The untold story of the Romanian ' orphans' gives an insider’s look into the adoption kitchen, where the most used ingredients are political pressure and emotional blackmail. A nexus of adoption agencies, adoptive parents and politicians are using their powers to ensure that intercountry adoptions continue. Often they are successful. However, in Romania they were not. The Romanian government, with support of the European Union, stood firm and took the decision to no longer export their children. A decision the adoption industry continues to challenge now for five years.
The reader is taken along on an eight-year-travel, from 1999 to end 2006, and will be shown the story of the Romanian ‘orphans’ from a different light, where global politics and private interests compete with the rights of the child.
The reader is taken along on an eight-year-travel, from 1999 to end 2006, and will be shown the story of the Romanian ‘orphans’ from a different light, where global politics and private interests compete with the rights of the child.
- GenresNonfictionAdoption
270 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 10, 2018
Once we understand how the adoption lobby works, we're better able to protect ourselves, our families, our communities, and our country of birth. A must read for those who have been ousted and abandoned by the very industry which professes to "protect" us. The book is a daily diary of sorts, and from it we are able to piece together the underworkings of a very profitable market under the guise of "child protection." This book can serve as motivation for all of us who have been disrespected and disregarded by those who profit the most: the adoptioneers.
Janine Myung Ja
co-founder of Adoption Truth & Transparency Worldwide Network
Janine Myung Ja
co-founder of Adoption Truth & Transparency Worldwide Network
November 6, 2021
Roelie Post was a woman who innocently started (with little experience) dealing with international or inter-country orphan adoption, but after reading her account of Romania adopting out orphans, starting way back in 1989, you could be forgiven for wondering how she coped. Without giving away too much of her life story, Ms. Post suffered from abuses to Children Services, bias and then straight-out slander by the media and then, if that was not enough, she suffered and continues to suffer from intimidation and straight-out threats to her life.
Ms. Post had stood up to Washington, Rome, Paris and Israel, you see, and said that, only in exceptional circumstances, could a child be adopted out of Romania. Each and every country, including Romania, must fix its' own inherent problems, when it comes to 'exporting' out babies and children. Essentially, the Eastern European Wall had collapsed in 1989 and the world was shocked when it saw a cold war policy by the Romanian government demanding women bear multiple children to repopulate its' country. Contraception had been banned ~ indeed, it was illegal. You see Romania back in 1989 was very very poor and women, in particular, were literary too poor to look after and raise multiple children.
This person believed it was a miracle, that a woman and her department, could turn around the problems that had engulfed Romania. But, it took many years for this to happen and a few governments along the way. It wasn't until 2005 that the Abandonment Law was finally abolished where women and families had to look after their new born children and could not just simply dump them at 'safe haven sites' or on the street and children could not be seen as a commodity that could be sold. "It is incompatible to put a price on a child's head for whoever wants to buy them". Romania, slowly but surely reduced abandonment of children through introducing contraception(!), reducing adoption agencies ~ the higher the number of agencies the higher the chances of orphaning off children (lower the demand drive market) and increase foster care which is cheaper and better than institutional care.
Every country is different, but some of the fundamentals will always stay the same. International Adoption is demand driven and undermines the very social support system which is there to support children. 'It is incompatible to put a price on a child's head for whoever wants to buy them'. Indeed, it is a 'universal human right that care is in place for children' and, to say it again, it is incompatible to put a price tag on them. Well done, Roelie Post. Well done I say.
Ms. Post had stood up to Washington, Rome, Paris and Israel, you see, and said that, only in exceptional circumstances, could a child be adopted out of Romania. Each and every country, including Romania, must fix its' own inherent problems, when it comes to 'exporting' out babies and children. Essentially, the Eastern European Wall had collapsed in 1989 and the world was shocked when it saw a cold war policy by the Romanian government demanding women bear multiple children to repopulate its' country. Contraception had been banned ~ indeed, it was illegal. You see Romania back in 1989 was very very poor and women, in particular, were literary too poor to look after and raise multiple children.
This person believed it was a miracle, that a woman and her department, could turn around the problems that had engulfed Romania. But, it took many years for this to happen and a few governments along the way. It wasn't until 2005 that the Abandonment Law was finally abolished where women and families had to look after their new born children and could not just simply dump them at 'safe haven sites' or on the street and children could not be seen as a commodity that could be sold. "It is incompatible to put a price on a child's head for whoever wants to buy them". Romania, slowly but surely reduced abandonment of children through introducing contraception(!), reducing adoption agencies ~ the higher the number of agencies the higher the chances of orphaning off children (lower the demand drive market) and increase foster care which is cheaper and better than institutional care.
Every country is different, but some of the fundamentals will always stay the same. International Adoption is demand driven and undermines the very social support system which is there to support children. 'It is incompatible to put a price on a child's head for whoever wants to buy them'. Indeed, it is a 'universal human right that care is in place for children' and, to say it again, it is incompatible to put a price tag on them. Well done, Roelie Post. Well done I say.
November 12, 2014
Very eye-opening and informative book on Romania's child protection policies/practices during a time of tremendous external pressure for Romania to release their children for international/overseas adoption. Great resource for anyone who cares about children's rights and children's welfare and who want to know more about the policies behind what is revealed and marketed as "the best interest of children". Follow the money.
After reading her book, I have the utmost respect for the author for her dedication, commitment, and work for vulnerable families and children and her courage in writing this book.
After reading her book, I have the utmost respect for the author for her dedication, commitment, and work for vulnerable families and children and her courage in writing this book.
January 14, 2015
Horribly biased book with misleading title. No substantiated research and author is clearly not in touch with need to provide the whole spectrum of options for abandoned children. Very disappointing and at times outright absurd.
December 25, 2011
This is really more of a text. But sad and interesting. A different angle on overseas adoption.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews