News on Unicef

Divisions arise over push for adoptions from Haiti

2010-04-11T12:15:20Z

Challenges, disputes lie ahead as advocates push for more adoptions from Haiti

Logistical challenges and potentially bitter disputes lie ahead as passionate advocates of adoption press for changes that might enable thousands of Haitian children affected by the earthquake to be placed in U.S. homes.

The obstacles are daunting, starting with a need to register Haiti's dislocated children. If done right, this would enab...

Nepal's stolen children point to flawed system

2010-03-02T01:17:29Z

Rajan Kumar Nepali did not know he was giving up his two young children when he put his thumbprint on a document handing custody to an orphanage in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu.

The owners of the children's home had promised to take care of his son and daughter while the 28-year-old labourer, who cannot read or write, tried to get his life back on track after he became addicted to drugs.

Instead, the children were put up for...

Nepal's stolen children highlight flawed adoption system

2010-03-02T01:17:26Z

Rajan Kumar Nepali did not know he was giving up his two young children when he put his thumbprint on a document handing custody to an orphanage in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu.

Instead, the children were put up for...

Americans rush to adopt orphaned Haitian children

2010-04-16T07:29:02Z

Advocacy groups: Americans rushing to adopt children left orphans from Haiti quake

Tammy Gage cries every time she turns on the TV and sees the devastation in Haiti. And though she already has three daughters, she didn't hesitate when her husband suggested that they adopt from Haiti.

"That's all he needed to say," she said.

Gage and her husband Brad are among many Americans expressing interest in adopting child...

International Adoption: Unicef's and Other Critics? War Against International Adoption

2010-10-14T08:47:34Z

UNICEF has been waging war against international adoption for many years contrary to popular understanding. It?s a war with results that fall far short of real time solutions to the spoils of its victories. UNICEF?s premise that parents in underdeveloped countries should be provided the means to keep their children is not arguable. Neither is UNICEF?s stance that international adoption should only be a last resort.

However, UNICEF?s tough and effective pressure tactics and lo...

Nepal restarts international adoptions

2010-04-16T17:35:01Z

Nepal has begun accepting applications from foreigners who want to adopt Nepalese children, 18 months after the practice was stopped because of widespread malpractice, officials said Friday.

Adoptions were suspended after reports that foreigners paid up to 20,000 dollars to adopt children, most of whom were not genuine orphans and some of whom were taken overseas without their parent's consent or knowledge.

"We have started accepti...

Foreign adoptions in U.S. drop

2010-09-11T01:20:35Z

For Third Straight Year, Foreign Adoptions in U.S. Decline

The number of foreign children adopted by Americans has dropped for the third year in a row, a consequence of tougher policies in the two countries — China and Russia — that over the past decade have supplied the most children to U.S. families.

Figures for the 2007 fiscal year, provided by the UNICEF counter at the Christiana Mall in Newark, Del. on Friday morning, Dec. 24, 2010. The National Retail Federation predicts that holiday spending will reach $451.5 billion this year, up 3.3 percent over last year. (AP Photo/The Selena Gomez, the ambassador for Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF holds a Trick -or Treat for Unicsf collection box at The Roxy in West Hollywood, Calif., on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010. Gomez performed a private acoustic concert to benefit the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF program, (AP Photo/Albert F...

Uganda Mia Farrow

2010-07-16T04:30:52Z

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, US actress Mia Farrow is welcomed by a group of Karimojong women, Thursday, July 15, 2010, by dressing her in traditional cloth and ornaments, in the far north west of Uganda during her tour of the country . The dry and sparsely populated region is a constant hot spot due ...

Prince Harry

2010-06-26T11:16:44Z

Britain's Prince Harry, center, speaks with UNICEF personnel while on a tour of UNICEF offices in New York, Saturday, June 26, 2010. Prince Harry is on the second day of a three-day visit to New York. (AP Photo/Lucas Jackson, Pool)

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TV Curb Your Enthusiasm

2010-04-20T12:45:37Z

FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2009 file photo, Larry David arrives at the UNICEF Ball honoring producer Jerry Weintraub in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)